Fruits Basket Fairy Tales
by Pottersgal15
Summary: A collection of Fruits Basket oneshots based on fairy tales. Mainly Tohrucentric fluff, with a good helping of humour. Contains Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Aladdin and Snow White. Rated T for some bad language, but don't let that stop you! Enjoy!
1. Sleeping Beauty

Ok, this is the first vaguely serious fanfiction I've written, and it's about Fruits Basket, which, unfortunately, I don't own. Enjoy!

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Tohru Honda tramped through the woods in a daze. The sickle-shaped moon shone over her head and the stars were glinting beautifully in the velvety sky, but Tohru noticed none of this. Her head was pounding, she tingled and ached all over and to top it all off, it was freezing.

Tohru sneezed loudly. "Ohhhhh...my head..." she groaned. Not only did she feel terrible, she'd had a terrible day too. Uo and Hana had both been off school with the flu, and those girls from the Prince Yuki Fan Club had seized their oppurtunity, teased her mercilessly and threw her school bag into the toilets. Her school books had been ruined, she had to copy them all out again and they hadn't left her alone until Kyo appeared, looking furious. Then, at work, half the cleaning staff had succumbed to the flu as well, so she had twice as much work to do.

Tohru put a hand to her forehead, and she was amazed at how hot her forehead had become. She took several deep breaths, clutching at her forehead in pain. She was starting to feel very, _very_ dizzy. She was shaking all over, and the wind was bitingly cold.

Tohru's school bag slipped from her fingers. The heavens opened and as the rain pounded into the ground, Tohru Honda fainted.

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Yuki glanced at the clock. It was past midnight. Tohru had not come home yet, and it had been raining for almost an hour.

"It's getting late." said Shigure, glancing at Yuki carefully. "Why don't you go to bed, and I'll wait up for-"

"Shiguuuuuuuu-rrreeeeeeee!!!!!!" someone called in a sing-song voice.

Yuki glared at his older cousin.

"Oh, er, Ayame! What a nice _surprise_." said Shigure awkwardly, as Ayame burst into the room.

"Why, whatever are you talking about, Shigure? You know we've had this visit planned for almost a month now."

Yuki's eyes flashed murderously at Shigure.

"Er...I...er..." Shigure stuttered.

"Ayame was visiting and you didn't even _warn_ me?" said Yuki, in a dangerously calm voice. This turned out to be a bad idea, because at that moment, Ayame spotted him.

"YUKI!" he cried, running towards his brother in slow motion, with his arms outstretched for a hug. Yuki backed away rapidly, but soon found out that Ayame's slow motion wasn't as slow as he had thought, because within minutes Ayame had crashed into him, giving him a bone-breaking hug.

"Oh dear brother, it's so good to see you! How sweet of you, to wait up for your big brother like this! I knew in your heart of hearts that you really cared!"

"Can't...breathe..." Yuki gasped.

At that moment, Kyo entered noisily. You could tell from a moment's glance that he was in a bad mood, and when he saw Ayame, it went from bad to worse.

"What's _he_ doing here?" he said, pointing at Ayame.

"Oh my, how very rude of you!" Ayame exclaimed. "Well, I suppose that's all we can expect from the cat, isn't it?"

Kyo glowed bright red from anger and embarrassment. "Say that again, you little..."

"Now, where's that delightful girl Tohru? I wouldn't want to keep her waiting for her dear friend Ayame!"

There was an awkward silence. And in that silence, Kyo's stomach rumbled.

"She's not back yet, Aya." said Shigure.

"Well that's simply dreadful!" Ayame exclaimed. "How rude of her, not to be home on time when company's coming!"

"She's not rude!" Kyo yelled.

"It is a little unusual for her to be this late." said Shigure. "She should have been home at least half an hour ago..."

At that moment, a crash of thunder split the night and the rain hammered on the roof harder than ever.

"She couldn't have got lost, could she?" said Ayame, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

"No, I don't think so..." said Shigure. "She knows the way quite well."

The thunder crashed again. Yuki and Kyo looked worried.

"You don't think anything could have...happened to her?" said Yuki quietly. In his mind's eye, Yuki saw Tohru walking down the street, swinging her bag merrily, not knowing that she was being followed by a shadowy figure wielding a knife.

"There aren't any lions or tigers in the forest, are there?" asked Ayame, who was visualising a chibi Tohru running away from at least ten big cats.

"No...but around this time of year, there are bears in there." said Shigure.

"Oh my!" said Ayame. "And to think, she's out there all alone..."

At that moment, Yuki and Kyo stood up. "I'm going to look for her." they said, in perfect unison.

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Yuki and Kyo returned an hour later, with Tohru. They each had one of Tohru's arms around their shoulders and were dragging her between them. She was wet, shivering and covered in mud. Shigure and Ayame helped them inside, and fetched Tohru some hot tea, which was about the only thing Shigure could make properly.

Tohru opened her eyes unsteadily. Ayame was on the phone, babbling away to Hatori, Shigure was flicking through a book almost feverishly, and Yuki and Kyo were leaning over her.

"Tohru!"

"Miss Honda!"

"Tohru?"

"Oh, she's awake now! Tori, do you want to speak to her? I'm sure it'd make her feel so much better. Torhu! Hatori wants to talk to you!"

Tohru's thumping headache returned with a vengence. She groaned in pain and sneezed loudly.

"Here Tohru, I made you some lovely tea." said Shigure, pressing the cup into her hands and looking at her earnestly.

"Oh...you didn't have to do that, Shigure..." Tohru mumbled.

"Well, she seems normal."

"Miss Honda, are you all right? How are you feeling?" said Yuki, looking concerned.

"What happened to you? Some guy didn't try and knock you out, did he? Have you still got your wallet?" said Kyo.

Tohru shook her head blearily. "I was walking...I was thinking about what happened at school and work today...and then..." Tohru screwed up her eyes in concentration, making her headache ten times worse. "And then I don't remember."

Ayame shoved the phone into Tohru's hands. Slowly and sleepily, she raised it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Miss Honda." said Hatori's voice, slightly distorted by static. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." Tohru lied, sneezing violently.

"Hm." said Hatori. "I'll be round shortly."

"Oh no! I couldn't ask you to do that! Not at this time of night! Really, Hatori, I'm perfectly fine. I just need some sleep, that's all."

"No, Tohru. I'm coming to see you now. Just don't overdo yourself. Put me on the phone to Shigure, will you?"

Tohru passed the phone to Shigure and lapsed into a tremendous coughing fit. Yuki and Kyo exchanged worried glances.

"Come on Tohru. We'll get you off to bed." said Kyo, and between him and Yuki, they carried Tohru up to her room.

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Hatori arrived fifteen minutes later. He was escorted quickly up to Toru's bedroom, where he examined her quickly and efficiently. None of the Sohmas would leave the room until the diagnosis was given.

Hatori sighed and put down his stethoscope. "She has a mild fever, with some complications. My guess is that she pushed herself too far at work or school, while already feeling ill. Still, it's nothing some bedrest and hot drinks can't cure."

"I can't rest." Tohru mumbled. "I've got a paper due in three days time, and I need to do the laundry. I can't quit now."

"I absolutely can't allow it. If you push yourself too hard you'll never get better."

"But-"

"Doctor's orders." said Hatori, standing up. "Keep warm and dry, and above all, _stay in bed_. Do you understand me?"

"Yes."

"Good girl."

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The house seemed to be curiously empty without Tohru up and about, Yuki thought, as he scrubbed the dishes clean. He hadn't realised how much he'd gotten used to her being around. A year ago, he didn't even know her name, and now...

Well, things had changed. Drastically.

Of course, Ayame's constant babbling more than made up for the silence, but it wasn't the same.

She had been in her bed for almost a day now, and already they were feeling the consequences.

_Ayame_ had done the cooking.

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Kyo was lying on the roof, staring at the sky. He missed Tohru too. It was weird, not to see her smile properly any more. It was almost as if all the life had gone out of her. She lay in bed, pale and listless, like a completely different person.

Kyo found himself wishing that Tohru would get back to normal as soon as possible. It was scary, seeing her like this.

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"Shigure, I'm just going to check on Tohru. I'll be back in a few minutes to help you with dinner!" Ayame called. Shigure shuddered at the thought of what Ayame would cook next.

Ayame climbed the stairs to Tohru's bedroom, carrying a tray of thick and lumpy soup. It was strange, seeing Shigure and Yuki so quiet and dismal. Tohru really must mean a lot to them.

For a moment, Ayame's eyes glittered with brilliant plans about Yuki and Tohru. It was obvious that they cared deeply about each other, and if Ayame was the one who finally brought them together...

He could picture it now. Tohru, resplendant in a glittering white dress, smiling and blushing. Yuki, beaming at everyone in a black tuxedo. Kyo, sulking in a corner. Shigure, Hatori, all the Sohmas, looking on in happiness. Himself as the best man.

"Oh brother," said the Yuki in his imagination, "I am so glad that you made me realise my feelings for Tohru! You were the one who finally brought us together! How can I ever thank you? You are truly the best brother in the whole world!"

"Oh brother," Ayame said to his imaginary brother, "seeing you so happy, and knowing that I was the one who made it happen, is all the thanks I will ever need! You are truly the luckiest of us all!"

With a dreamy smile on his lips and stars in his eyes, Ayame entered Tohru's bedroom.

The first thing he noticed was the cold. It brought him back to reality with an unpleasant jolt. He shivered, and carefully placed the tray of lumpy soup on Tohru's bedside table. He studied her sleeping face, flushed from the fever. Really, that glittering white fabric would suit her _so_ well. And the design possibilities...you could do practically anything with that stuff.

Lost in the designs for Tohru's wedding dress, he didn't notice the snow falling outisde her window. The temperature was dropping rapidly, but all Ayame registered was the possibility of adding fur to Tohru's dress. It would all depend on when she wanted to get married...and of course there was the flowers to consider too...they _had_ to compliment the dress, or else the whole thing would look so wrong...

Emerged in his thoughts, Ayame didn't notice until it was too late.

There was a puff of smoke, and Ayame transformed.

_Shit!_ he thought, looking for a warm place. It would take him far too long to get back downstairs, so really, his only option was to stay in Tohru's room.

Her bed looked quite cosy.

Ayame slithered up and onto Tohru's bed, and slipped under the covers. For a moment, he coiled himself up there and tried to go to sleep. But sleep just wouldn't come.

He just wasn't warm enough.

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Kyo was still lying on the roof when the first snowflake fell. It landed on his nose and made him sneeze. The sky was slowly getting darker, and Kyo hadn't touched Ayame's cooking last night, so not only was he cold, he was hungry too. And it was getting dark. He should really go inside and check on Tohru.

Besides, everyone knows cats _hate_ the cold and the wet.

Kyo scurried down the drainpipe and slipped in through the nearest window.

He was in Tohru's room.

He closed the window carefully behind him, and for a moment, he could have sworn he saw something move in the bed. He span around. Perhaps Tohru was better. Perhaps she was awake.

But when Kyo turned around, he did not see a smiling Tohru sitting up in bed. Instead, he saw Ayame's clothes lying on the floor.

Once again, the bedcovers twitched.

Kyo was furious.

"Ayame!" he hissed angrily. "What the _hell_ have you been doing?"

Ayame poked his head out from under Tohru's shirt. Kyo went crimson with anger.

"Oh, it's just you. Run along and get me a snack, will you?" said Ayame lazily, his head retreating back under Tohru's shirt.

"You come out of there right now!" Kyo yelled, striding towards the bed. However, just as he reached the bed, he slipped on Ayame's discarded clothes and fell right on top of Tohru.

There was another puff of smoke, and another member of the Sohma family transformed.

"Oh, this is just great!" yelled Kyo, now in his cat form, his fur standing on end. "Now look what you've done!"

"_I_ haven't done anything." said Ayame, still in the same lazy drawl. "It was your own clumsiness that did it."

"I swear, Ayame, I'm going to skin you alive and make you into a handbag!" yelled Kyo.

"Oh? What kind of handbag?"

Then, with a little moan, Tohru rolled over and pulled Kyo close to her chest. She mumbled something about a teddy in her sleep. Kyo wriggled and struggled, but her embrace was so tight that he couldn't get out. But strictly speaking, he didn't really want to get out. Kyo's face was still red, but now it was from embarrassment, not anger.

"Are you enjoying yourself, cat boy?" said Ayame.

"What the hell do you mean by that?!" Kyo yelled, his temper returning.

"That's nice. I'm having a wonderful time down here."

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In the living room, Shigure looked up from his paper and stared at the ceiling thoughtfully.

"What is it?" asked Yuki quietly, standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Aya's been an awful long time up there."

"So?"

"Just wondering. Tohru might have woken up, or perhaps Aya transformed again. It is awfully cold..."

Yuki raced up the stairs and threw open the door to Tohru's bedroom. He saw both Ayame's and Kyo's clothes on the floor and immediately, jumped to the worst possible conclusion.

"What. Did. You. Do?" he said, quietly but dangerously. Tohru rolled over to face him, and he saw a very red Kyo being clutched tightly to her, and Ayame's head poking out of the top of Tohru's shirt.

Yuki saw red.

"It's not what it looks like!" said Kyo, panicking at the murderous look in his cousin's eyes.

"Yuki!" said Ayame happily.

"Yuki..." said Kyo, trying to think of an explanation.

"Yuki..." mumbled Tohru in her sleep.

Instantly, everyone fell silent. Yuki blushed.

"No, Yuki..."she mumbled. Kyo and Ayame exchanged glances.

"No...I don't want to..." By now, Yuki's face was the colour of tomatoes.

"No, Yuki...no more goat soup..."

Yuki let out a long, slow breath he hadn't realised he was holding. Kyo sniggered, and Ayame had a strange look on his face, like a cross between disappointment and interest.

"Yuki, you've got to get that damn brother of yours out of Tohru's shirt!" said Kyo.

"But I like it here!" said Ayame, whipping his head inside Tohru's top. "It's comfy!"

"Say that again, you little..."

"How? I mean, I can't stick my hand down Miss Honda's..." Yuki mumbled, getting progressively redder with each word.

"If you try that, I'll bite your fingers off." muttered Kyo.

Yuki thought for a moment. "Perhaps...if I transform...I can chase him out..." he said, thinking aloud.

"Great! We've got a plan! Now hurry up before he gets too comfy!"

"Oh I assure you, it's already way past that stage." said Ayame.

Yuki crossed over to Tohru's bedside, and as gently as he could, took her in his arms and hugged her. He felt a little bit like that prince in the fairy tale whose name he couldn't remember, the one where the princess had fallen asleep for ages, but this thought was quickly dispelled in a puff of smoke. Yuki had transformed, and it is hard to feel like a handsome prince when you are a rat.

But before Yuki could chase Ayame out of Tohru's shirt, Tohru had reached out and grabbed him too. He could do nothing to stop her as he was pulled close to her, like a child pulls their favourite toy towards them. Within seconds, he was right next to, and in the same position as Kyo, who was mumbling incoherently.

"...stupid rat..." said Kyo.

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Downstairs, Shigure looked impatiently at the clock. What on earth were they doing up there? Perhaps Tohru had woken up and they had stayed to talk to her - Tohru was the kind of girl who could keep you talking for hours.

Shigure sighed. It was amazing how quickly they had become used to her. The house practically fell apart when she wasn't there, being her usual, smiling self. What he wouldn't have given to be Yuki and Kyo's age...

Shigure entered Tohru's bedroom. He saw the clothes strewn all over the floor and his imagination went into overdrive.

"Shigure!" yelled Kyo. "You have to help us get Ayame out!"

"What, is he stuck?" Shigure asked.

Ayame's slightly muffled voice came from inside Tohru's shirt. "No, it's fine, Shigure. I'm perfectly happy where I am."

"You've got to do something before he does something...improper!" cried Yuki.

"Improper?" snorted Kyo. "What are you, a prince?"

"More than you'll ever be, you stupid cat!"

"Why you little-"

"I expected better of you boys!" said Shigure. "Just think, taking advantage of a sick young girl like that! Tut, tut, tut. Disgraceful."

"Yes. Shame on you, Kyo!" said Ayame.

"Me?! What about that damn rat!"

"Oh don't be silly, we couldn't possibly blame Yuki for anything."

"Well, there's only one thing to do."

"Finally, someone's going to fish that snake out of Tohru's shirt!" said Kyo in relief.

"No. It's clear to me that Ayame was clearly trying to protect our dear sweet Tohru's innocence. But I see, Ayame, that you are outnumbered."

"Oh no." said Kyo.

"He wouldn't." said Yuki.

"So, it is clearly my duty as a reponsible adult to make sure that Tohru is safe. And the only way I can do that is to come into the bed with you."

"You pervert!" yelled Kyo. But Shigure wasn't listening, and he clambered into bed beside Tohru, and put his arms around her. Once again - another puff of smoke, and Shigure was now a dog.

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Tohru Honda woke up to the sunlight streaming in through her window. Her headache had all but disappeared, and her bed was warm, cosy and furry.

Wait. Furry?

Tohru dissmissed the thought, closed her eyes and rolled over. She snuggled into something furry, and the furry something snuggled back.

Tohru opened her blue eyes, and looked straight into Shigure's grey ones. She shrieked and sat up bolt upright.

"Sh-Shigure!" she stuttered, eyes wide and cheeks red. "W-what..."

"Good morning Tohru." said Shigure sleepily. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, but...how...what...I..."

"Miss Honda!" came Yuki's voice. Tohru looked down and saw, to her shock, that she had been cuddling Yuki and Kyo like teddy bears when they were in their animal form. With a small cry, she dropped them both and pressed her hands to her cheeks, totally mortified.

"I am _so_ sorry!" she said, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I didn't mean to-"

Tohru stopped. She froze.

"What is it?" said Yuki urgently. "What's the matter?"

"Th-There's something...slithery...inside my sh-shirt..."

"What?!" said Kyo, furious once again.

Tohru screwed up her eyes in horror. "I can feel it slithering all over me!" she whimpered.

"Ayame..." Yuki muttered.

"What about him?" said Tohru.

"Ayame's inside your shirt."

Tohru squeaked in alarm. "Get him out, please!"

"Well, that's no way to treat a guest." Ayame muttered, but he slid out from Tohru's shirt all the same.

"H-How did this happen?"

"It's a long story..." said Shigure.

"And you're not going to tell it." said Yuki. "Basically, Miss Honda, it was like this:"

Ten minutes later...

"Oh! I see! But you must have been so embarrassed..."

"I wasn't." Ayame and Shigure said, in perfect unison.

"I'm so sorry, everyone. I really didn't mean to! I guess I just..."

"It's all right, Miss Honda. No-one blames you."

"You were asleep, you had a fever. What is there to do about it?" said Kyo.

"I'm really, really sorry."

"Honestly, it's-"

Suddenly, there were four puffs of smoke. Tohru coughed and spluttered a bit, and felt someone holding a hand to her forehead.

"Are you sure you're all right, Miss Honda?" asked Yuki.

The smoke cleared, and Tohru saw Ayame, Kyo, Shigure and Yuki all sitting on (or in) her bed, all in human form.

Only trouble was, as a blushing Tohru soon realised, they were naked.

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Well, what did you think? R&R peeps!


	2. Cinderella

Okey doke people! Due to the success of Sleeping Beauty, I've decided to do loads more fairy tales as well! Enjoy!

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Tohru Honda had never been happier. She was living in a beautiful house with lovely friends, she had just passed her final exams, and she had got a pay rise at work. Uo and Hana were always there for her, and she always had the Sohmas to rely on. No, thought Tohru as she made the dinner, it really couldn't get any better. She hummed along to a happy tune on the radio as she worked, and her cheerful smile was infectious.

When dinner was finished, Yuki and Kyo volunteered to do the washing up, which made Shigure's eyes bug out of his head in surprise. For one blissful moment, Tohru had thought that they had reconciled at last, but then-

"You stupid cat! You're getting dirty dishwatwer all over me!"

"Awh, what's the matter? Is the widdle wat gonna get his hair wet?"

And at that point, Yuki had shoved Kyo's head into the sink.

Half an hour later, Tohru had cleaned up the water that had been splashed all over the floor and managed to wash all the noodles out of Kyo's hair. Shigure had delivered a lengthly speel about "our dear, sweet Tohru" which had made her cheeks go crimson, and she had rushed off to bed, still blushing.

Torhu was just so happy. She even smiled in her sleep.

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Somewhere in the distance, a wild dog howled. Shigure lowered his newspaper. Yuki and Kyo looked at him curiously.

"Another landslide." said Shigure, getting to his feet.

"Was anyone hurt?" asked Yuki.

"There were two young girls around the area. Perhaps I'd better-"

"No." said Yuki. standing up.

"You'll need someone to go with you! I couldn't possibly let you go alone!"

"No." said Kyo, standing up too.

Shigure sighed. "Very well. I'll just have to stay here, cast aside like an old sock while you go off in search of pretty high school girls!"

Yuki and Kyo paid him no attention, they just walked towards the door. Then, Shigure had an idea.

"I'll just have to stay here, all alone with Tohru! Just the two of us, outcast by the entire world! Just me and Tohru, completely alone!"

Yuki and Kyo stopped dead in their tracks.

"Alone..." Yuki whispered.

"...with Tohru!" glowered Kyo.

They both turned slowly to face him, muderous looks on their faces. Shigure whimpered.

Tohru sat up in her room. There were strange noises coming from downstairs...

Crash! Bang! Smash! Rip! "Help! Help!"

Tohru grabbed her baseball bat and sprinted down the stairs.

"Tohru should be completely safe now." said Yuki, just before he and Kyo walked out the door.

Tohru burst into the living room, baseball bat in hand, to see Shigure bound and gagged on the floor, wriggling like a fish out of water.

"Shigure!" said Tohru, untying his gag. "Whatever happened to you?"

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About two hours later, Yuki and Kyo returned, each dragging a young girl about Tohru's age. For a second, both their faces were a picture of shock as they saw Shigure, completely free of the ropes and gags, sitting and smirking as he was served tea by Tohru. But then, the two girls started to stir and groan theatrically.

"Oh you poor things!" said Tohru, rushing over to them and helping one of them to sit up. This girl had long, bright blond hair, and as Tohru helped her sit up, she shrugged away her hands and hissed something at her. The only one who heard what she said was Tohru, and she gasped quietly and felt tears prick the corners of her eyes.

The blonde opened her big blue eyes. Shigure gaped at her.

"Where am I?" she said, rubbing her eyes. Then she focussed on Tohru, and her voice took on a harder edge.

"What are you doing here?" she said, glaring at Tohru.

"I live here, Kirimi." Tohru said quietly.

"Do you know this girl, Miss Honda?" asked Yuki. Kirimi turned her big blue eyes towards him and flicked her blonde hair ever so slightly.

"Yes." said Tohru, in an even smaller voice. "This is my cousin, Kirimi Fushida."

"Hey." Kirimi said in a flirty voice.

"Shut up, Kirimi." murmured the other girl. She had short black hair cut into layers and black eye make up that had run down her face. Kirimi shot her a deadly glance.

"This is my other cousin, Sakura Fushida." said Tohru, indicating the dark-haired girl. She sat up too and opened her eyes. They were big and blue, like her sister's, and they regarded Tohru with the same dislike.

"So how did two young girls end up all alone in the woods?" asked Shigure. Yuki and Kyo shot him several warning looks, but he ignored them all.

Kirimi and Sakura turned their identical blue eyes on Shigure. He positively melted.

"We were on a camping trip." Kirimi said, batting her eyes at everyone except Tohru and Sakura. "And our tent got caught in the landslide."

Tohru said nothing. She looked at the floor in a quiet and guarded way.

"What a shame!" cried Shigure. "Why don't you stay here for the night?"

Tohru's head snapped up.

"Do you think we could stay for a little longer?" wheedled Kirimi. "Our parents expected us to be camping for three days. We wouldn't want to worry them by going back early."

Yuki looked puzzled. That story didn't make sense at all. Kyo and Shigure seemed to be thinking along the same lines, so Kirimi turned up the flirting.

"Please?" she said to Shigure, sticking out her chest and batting her eyelids.

"Of course you can stay!" said Shigure, throwing caution to the wind. "We'd be glad to have you, wouldn't we? Boys? Tohru?"

Yuki and Kyo muttered their assent.

"Yes...of course..." said Tohru quietly.

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Tohru tramped up the stairs to her bedroom, feeling thoroughly subdued. And to think, only three hours ago she was thinking how wonderful her life was...

She sighed and pushed open her bedroom door.

"What are _you_ doing in here?" said Kirimi.

Tohru was astounded. Kirimi was sitting in _her_ bed, wearing _her_ pajamas, and now she asked what _Tohru_ was doing in _her own_ room?

"Th-This is my room, Kirimi."

Kirimi smirked. "Not any more." she said, stretching out on Tohru's bed. "Shigure said that _I'm_ sleeping here now."

"Oh." Shigure would really do that to me? she thought, slightly hurt. "Well, would you mind staying awake for a few minutes? I'll just set up a camp bed or something..."

"No!" said Kirimi indignantly. "I won't be able to sleep a wink knowing that _you're_ in my room! Get out!"

With a little sigh, Tohru left. There was always the spare room.

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Tohru entered the spare room to find Sakura lying on the bed. Unlike her sister, Sakura didn't have to say anything to get Tohru to leave the room. She just glared at her and Tohru was out the door in a flash. Of all the members of the Fushida family, Sakura was definately the scariest.

So it was that with some resignation that Tohru that Tohru tramped downstairs, intending to sleep on the couch.

Which wasn't there.

Shigure had sold it last week.

"What do we need a couch for?" he had said. The irony was not lost on Tohru.

So Tohru fetched a sleeping bag, unrolled it and went to sleep on the floor.

When she woke up, the first thing she saw was Yuki leaning over her.

"Miss Honda! What were you thinking, sleeping on the floor like that?" he said, pulling her up. Behind him, Tohru saw Kirimi and Sakura glaring daggers at her. She knew that look very well. It meant "If you tell anyone what happened, we'll make your life a misery." Tohru decided she wasn't going to take any chances.

"I let Kirimi sleep in my room, and I didn't want to disturb her." she said, avoiding Yuki's eyes.

"Well what about the spare room?"

"I offered that to Sakura."

Shigure shook his head and laughed. "You're too nice for your own good, but you can't go sleeping on floors. Promise me you won't do it again."

Tohru stiffened slightly. "I promise."

But Yuki saw the look on her face, and sensed that there was more to this situation than met the eye.

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When Tohru got into school, Uo and Hana looked like they had seen a ghost. Tohru was pale and withdrawn, and she didn't look as though she had slept at all. She looked up and saw them, and she smiled, but her smile seemed curiously empty.

"What's wrong?" said Uo, almost running over to her.

"Nothing." said Tohru. "So did you two have a good-"

"Your electric signals tell me that you're lying, Tohru." said Hana softly.

Tohru's smile slipped. She looked down.

"I know that face." said Uo. "Don't tell me the Fushidas are back in town again?"

Tohru nodded sadly.

From a few feet away, Kyo watched and listened to their conversation. He too had had his suspicions about the two Fushida girls, and now they were mounting rapidly.

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That night at dinner, Tohru cooked alone. Usually she had at least one person helping or watching her, but tonight they were all talking to Kirimi and Sakura. She could hear snatches of their conversation floating through the kitchen door.

"Yeah, everyone's invited! You can pick up tickets from Kawaia High, at the office. The only thing is you have to be a student to get in. And it's a costume ball too, so you have to dress up. Sakura and I are going, we got our costumes ages ago..."

Tohru would have groaned if they couldn't hear her. Sakura and Kirimi were going to the end of exams costume ball? This had to be the worst piece of news ever. Perhaps she could think up an excuse not to go, so she could avoid seeing them there.

Tohru put on her best smile and carried the food out of the kitchen.

"Dinner's ready." she said, and her cheerful smile did not extend to her voice. Kyo and Yuki gave her quizzical looks. Tohru avoided their gaze and served the food.

Sakura and Kirimi had taken one bite each of Tohru's delicious food when they both laid down their cutlery and said "I'm not hungry."

Tohru looked crestfallen. "Oh." she said.

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The next day was Friday, and the moment that Yuki, Kyo and Tohru arrived home, Shigure rushed over to them.

"Tohru! Something terrible has happened in the bathroom!" he yelled, panic all over his face.

"What do you mean?"

"I think someone must have cut their arm off when I was out! There's blood all over the floor and horrible red gunk in the bath! What are we going to do, Tohru?"

Tohru rushed upstairs and threw open the bathroom door. There was red-stained water all over the floor, with little bits of hair floating around in it. The inside of the bath was coated in suspicious red gooey stuff, and all the towels were stained with red.

Tohru gasped and covered her hand with her mouth.

"The girls must have cut their heads off or something!" yelled Shigure. "What are we going to do if they're dead?"

"Shigure!" came Kirimi's voice from downstairs. "We're home! Sorry if we worried you!"

They all exchanged glances.

"Well...they don't sound like their heads have been cut off..." said Tohru.

Kirimi and Sakura entered the bathroom, and the first thing that they noticed was that Sakura's hair was now a deep blood red.

"God, this place is filthy." she said, staring pointedly at Tohru.

"Oh! Right!" she said, grabbing the disinfectant. "I'll get right on it!"

"Just don't take too long!" said Kirimi, giving her a very fake smile.

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That night, Tohru slept on the floor again. She was so stiff and sore, that she woke up before it was light and was able to put away her sleeping bag before anyone else got up.

She crossed into the kitchen and began to get out the breakfast plates. She didn't notice Sakura and Kirimi quietly enter the room behind her.

"Good morning Tohru." said Kirimi quietly. Tohru flinched.

"Good morning Kirimi." she said, without turning around. Instantly, she felt a hand grab her head and force it down. The fingernails were digging into her head.

"Look at my sister when she talks to you!" hissed Sakura, but she didn't let go.

Tohru's eyes were screwed tight shut.

"I'm s-sorry!" she said.

"Keep it down!" Sakura hissed.

"Now, Tohru, do you know what day it is today?" Kirimi asked quietly.

Tohru shook her head. Sakura forced her head down harder. "Answer her!"

"N-No." Tohru whispered.

Kirimi chuckled vindictively. "So you're stupid as well as ugly. That really is unfortunate."

Sakura let out a quiet, malicious laugh.

"Well, idiot, today is the day of the end of exams costume ball. And we don't want you to be there."

"W-What?"

"You heard me. You'll spoil our lovely evening, and everyone will pay attention to _you_. And you'll try and stop me from talking to Yuki and Kyo."

Sakura coughed. "Sorry, Saku." said Kirimi hastily. "You'll stop _us_ talking to Yuki and Kyo."

"I won't!" Tohru whispered. "I promise I won't!"

"No, you won't. You're not going, Tohru."

Tears were streaming down Tohru's face.

"I don't care what excuse you have to invent, and I don't care how much Yuki and Kyo try and persuade you to come. But you're not going. Clear?"

Tohru nodded. Sakura dug her nails into Tohru's head. "Kiri asked you a question." she said quietly.

"Y-Yes."

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"Yuki? Kyo?" said Tohru at lunch. They looked up at her, and Tohru noticed the worried looks on their faces. Once again, tears sprang into her eyes.

"I-I really don't think I can go to that costume ball tonight." she said, and it was easy to hear the tears threatening her voice.

"Why not, Miss Honda?"

"Man, that sucks!"

Tohru's eyes shimmered with tears. This was so unfair. She was sitting in between Sakura and Kirimi, and both of them were squeezing her hands a little too tightly.

"I-I just feel s-so..." The tears were constricting her voice.

"It's OK, Tohru." said Kirimi, putting an arm around her.

"We're here for you." said Sakura, putting an arm around her too.

Tohru broke down. The tears flowed freely down her face and she put her head in her hands, sobbing loudly. This was so unfair! Just when her life had seemed better than ever, the Fushida twins had appeared!

"Tohru?" said Shigure quietly.

"I-I'm sorry." Tohru said into her hands. "I just r-really don't want to g-go."

"Tohru was telling us about it this morning." Kirimi said softly. "Apparently her mother had always wanted to see Tohru go to a costume ball. And now it's finally Tohru's turn to go, and her mother isn't here to see it."

Tohru sobbed harder than ever. That was below the belt. Memories of her mother sticking up for her when the Fushida sisters had appeared filled her mind and the tears streamed down her face.

"It's OK, Tohru." said Kyo. "You don't have to go. We'll stay here with you."

Tohru felt Kirimi's fingers dig into her shoulder.

"N-No." Tohru said. "Y-You shouldn't m-miss out on all the f-fun just because of m-me."

"Miss Honda, we can't just leave you here." said Yuki.

"I-I'd really rather b-be alone. Sh-Shigure can h-have my t-ticket."

"Tohru..." said Shigure.

"R-Really, I'll b-be fine."

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And that was how Tohru was left behind. She waved them all off as they walked to the school dance that she had been looking forward to attend. She stayed there, standing alone on the porch, long after they had disappeared from sight.

And the tears came once again.

She sat at the table, alone, staring at its polished surface, tears slowly trickling down her face. She remembered how excited she had been. She remembered how Yuki and Kyo had promised they would come. She remembered finally getting Kyo a costume which he hadn't proclaimed to be "poncy".

Tohru put her head on the table and began to sob.

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"Hey Orangetop." said Uo, grabbing Kyo by the shoulder and yanking him towards her.

"Let go!" said Kyo, squirming in her grip.

"Where is Tohru?" said Hana quietly. Kyo was unsurprised to see that she had come as a vampire.

"She decided not to come." he said, finally extracating himself from Uo's grip.

Uo raised an eyebrow.

"What a coincidence." said Hana quietly.

"What are you talking about?"

"The Fushida twins stay over, and two days later Tohru decides not to go to the costume ball. She'd been looking forward to it for such a long time."

"What?"

"Come, Uo. I sense we are needed elsewhere."

"Hey wait! Come back here! What's with the Fushida twins?"

"Gotta run, Orangetop." said Uo. "There's a girl who needs us."

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Uo and Hana pushed open the door to Shigure's house. The moment they entered, they heard Tohru's sobbing.

"Man, those Fushida bitches are gonna pay."

"She hasn't cried like this since her mother died."

"Uo? Hana?" said Tohru, sitting up. "Is that you?"

"Hey kid!"

"Hello Tohru."

"Hi." said Tohru, wiping her eyes. "Why aren't you at the dance?"

"We could easily ask you the same thing." said Hana.

"It's the Fushida twins, isn't it? What did they do?"

Tohru hesitated, and then nodded. Within minutes, she had explained it all and was crying on Uo's shoulder.

"You can't let them push you down like this." said Uo. "Stand up for yourself!"

"Uo is right, Tohru."

"But I can't go to the dance! They'd kill me if they saw me there!"

"Then they won't see you." said Uo.

"What do you mean?"

"You can go in disguise! They'll never recognise you, the Fushida twins are as thick as two short planks, maybe even three!"

"When are they going to be back?"

"They said around one in the morning..." said Tohru.

"Then if we leave the dance at midnight, we'll get back before they do. You can change back into your pajamas, and they'll never know it was you!"

"Well..."

"Tohru. This is about what you want to do." said Hana quietly. "Do you want to go to the costume ball?"

Tohru nodded.

"Then go. That's all there is to it."

Tohru's face broke into a smile and she threw her arms around both of them. "You're the best friends in the whole world." she said.

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At ten o'clock, Tohru, Uo and Hana arrived again. They were certainly a mismatched group, with Hana in her vampire costume, Uo dressed as a Hell's Angel, and Tohru...

Tohru was dressed like an angel, with a cute white dress and little wings and a halo. Uo had found her a fancy white mask, and with Uo and Hana on either side of her, Tohru looked like a princess with her two loyal bodyguards.

Yuki looked up from his conversation with Kirimi, who had come as a devil in a tightly fitted red dress. He saw Tohru, dressed in white and blushing, and he recognised her instantly. Fortunately, Kirimi did not.

"Who's that girl up there?" she said, and this time Yuki heard the nasty edge in her voice.

"I don't know." he said.

Kyo and Shigure also recognised Tohru. Their mouths fell open. Sakura glared at the pair of them angrily. Like her sister, she had no clue who Tohru was. And in light of what Uo had said to him, Kyo intended to keep it that way.

"Let's go and see who that girl is, shall we?" he said, stepping on Shigure's toes.

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For those precious few hours, the Fushida twins were completely forgotten as Tohru stepped into the glittering world of the costume ball. OK, it was only the gym with a few banners and streamers, but to Tohru it looked like an enchanted winter palace. The music was wonderful, the food was delicious and the dancing was absolutely brilliant. She danced at least five times with Yuki, who to everyone's delight had come as Prince Charming, she danced almost twice as much with Kyo, in his not-too-poncy pirate costume, and managed to squeeze in a few dances with Shigure, who told her that he had come as a Japanese writer.

Tohru wished with all her heart that the evening would never end, and that the midnight bells would never toll.

But they did.

All too soon, the deafening school bell was ringing the midnight chimes. Tohru tore herself away from Yuki and ran as fast as she could, fighting her way through the dancing couples.

"Hey! Wait!" Yuki cried, running after her. Just then, Kirimi Fushida appeared out of nowhere

"Let's dance, Yuki!" she said, attempting to drag him onto the dance floor.

"Wait!" he yelled, wrenching himself from her vice-like grip as Tohru hurtled towards the doors. Kyo joined the chase.

"You can't leave yet!" he yelled, tearing after her.

Tohru risked a glance over her shoulder. As she looked back at Yuki and Kyo, she ran straight into a couple of fan club girls and toppled over, sending one of her shoes flying. But she didn't stop. She picked herself up again and ran out the doors.

Kyo burst through the double doors, looking everywhere for Tohru. But it was too late. She had disappeared.

Miserable, Kyo slouched back into the gym, looking murderous. The first thing he saw was Yuki, who was holding Tohru's shoe.

Kirimi and Sakura rushed over to him.

"Yuki, why are you holding a shoe?" said Kirimi, snatching it off him. She examined it critically from every angle. "It's not even a very nice shoe, I mean it's-"

She broke off, anger and hatred written all over her face.

She had just seen a name tag inside the shoe, and the name written on it was Tohru Honda.

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Kirimi and Sakura were the first ones to get back to Shigure's house. They opened the front door with a slam and stormed into the living room, where Tohru was lying in her sleeping bag.

"YOU LYING LITTLE BITCH!" Kirimi yelled, throwing the shoe at Tohru's head. "YOU DELIBERATELY DISOBEYED ME! YOU LYING, CHEATING, LOUSY SON OF A BITCH!"

Tohru's face was white with fear. "K-Kirimi..." she began, stretching a hand out towards her cousin. Kirimi smacked it away.

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO LEAVE THE HOUSE! I _TOLD_ YOU!"

"K-Kirimi, I..."

"SHUT UP!" Kirimi screamed, slapping Tohru hard across the face. "JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Tohru began to cry. "Please, Kirimi..."

Sakura knelt down and grabbed a chunk of Tohru's hair, twisting it round her hand and pulling it hard. "She told you to shut up." she said quietly.

Kirimi took several deep breaths and ran her fingers through her hair. "I have _tried_, Tohru. But you have gone too far. You _ruined_ my entire evening! I was _this close_ to kissing Yuki! And you _ruined_ it!"

She stormed into the kitchen and grabbed a pair of enormous kitchen scissors. She advanced on Tohru, clicking them menacingly.

Tohru's mouth dropped open.

"Wh-what are you g-going to do with those?" she asked, Sakura yanking on her hair again.

Kirimi smirked. "I don't know. I'll think of something."

"Kirimi..." Tohru began again.

"Kirimi, Kirimi, Kirimi. That's all I damn well hear from you! When are you going to learn to shut up?"

"Kirimi, it's not like you to do this!" lied Tohru. "What are you doing?"

"Like I said, I don't know. But I'll do it alone. Yuki and Kyo didn't even leave the dance. They couldn't be bothered to follow you. So there's no-one around to stick up for you."

Tohru screamed, high and loud. Kirimi dropped the scissors and clamped her hands over her ears. Sakura gave Tohru's hair another vicious tug. And unnoticed by all three of them, the door slid open.

"BITCH!" yelled Kirimi, slapping Tohru again.

"Get out!" yelled a voice from the doorway. Sakura dropped Tohru's hair. Kirimi span around. Tohru seized her chance and ran from the room, but before she could leave, a hand grabbed her wrist. She looked around.

Yuki was the one who had grabbed her wrist. His hand came to rest in hers, and the tears falling down Tohru's face turned to tears of relief.

Shigure was obviously the one who had yelled. He was red in the face with rage and too much running, and he was glaring at the Fushida twins.

For a moment, no-one spoke.

"Get out of my house." said Shigure, obviously making a real effort to calm himself down.

The Fushida twins didn't move.

"I said GO!" he shouted. They flinched. Tohru sniffled a little, and Kyo crossed over to Tohru and put his arm around her.

The Fushida twins looked at them all with a mixture of shock and disdain. Their eyes travelled from Shigure, still livid, to Yuki, still holding Tohru's hand, to Tohru, whose bottom lip was quivering as she tried to hold back her tears, to Kyo, who was glaring at them with an expression of pure hatred.

Kirimi's eyes narrowed.

"Come on, Sakura. We're not wanted here."

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When the Fushida twins had left, Tohru collapsed to the floor, sobbing. Shigure, Yuki and Kyo just stood there for a moment, watching, and not really sure about what to do. Then Kyo gently knelt down beside her and put arm across her shoulders. Only slightly smarting that Kyo had beaten him to it, Yuki did the same.

"Er...shall I make some tea?" said Shigure.

"Yes please." sniffed Tohru. "That would be lovely."

The kitchen scissors were still lying on the floor in the middle of the room. As he crossed over to the kitchen door, Shigure scooped them up. He didn't think Tohru would ever want to see them again.

For a long and awkward time, everyone was still and silent. Tohru sipped her tea quietly and sadly, never meeting anyone's eyes. She had stopped crying, but she was quiet and still and was not smiling.

"Dammit Tohru!" said Kyo, banging his fist on the table. Everyone jumped.

"Why didn't you tell us your cousins were psychopaths?" he yelled.

Tohru smiled a little.

"As much as it pains me to say it, the cat is right." said Yuki.

Kyo smirked.

"I wouldn't call them psychopaths." said Tohru quietly, raising her tear-stained face and looking at them all. "They've always been very lonely people. I guess they just..."

"Stop making excuses for them! They're evil, that's all there is to it!"

Tohru smiled wanly. "I thought that perhaps they might have...changed."

"You're too damn nice for your own good." muttered Kyo. "Listen, Tohru."

Kyo reached across the table and cupped Tohru's face in his hands. Yuki tensed a little, Shigure's eyes widened and Tohru blushed.

"Promise me that if we ever meet someone who you _know_ is a bad person, _promise me_ that you'll actually say something instead of suffering in silence. Okay?"

"Kyo..."

"I'm not letting go of your face until you promise me."

"I promise."

"You promise what?"

"I promise that if we ever meet someone who I _know_ is a bad person, I promise that I'll actually say something instead of suffering in silence." repeated Tohru, smiling.

"Good." said Kyo, letting go of Tohru's face.

"Oh Kyo!" cried Tohru, launching herself across the table and throwing her arms around him.

"Aaahh!!" cried Kyo, slightly afraid. There was a puff of smoke, and Kyo turned into a cat.

"Oh! Sorry!" said Tohru, hugging Kyo closely.

Kyo mumbled something incoherent. Whether he was talking about forgiveness or annoyance, we may never find out. Even Kyo himself can't really remember what he said. He forgot it immediately as Tohru cuddled him, and to his intense embarrassment and Shigure's amusement, he started purring.

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Well? Message me if you have any other ideas for stories you would like to see fruba-fied and let me know what you think!


	3. Aladdin

As you are doubtlessly aware, I don't own Fruits Basket. This time, it's Kyo's turn to shine, but it gets a little scary towards the end (AKITO ALERT!!!) and there's more than the average swear going on. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

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It was barely morning, and already Kyo didn't want to get up. He was curled up in his bed like a contented cat, and his stomach was filled with that horrible sinking feeling that you get when you know your day is going to be terrible. Kyo could sense that the whole world was going to conspire against him today, and frankly, he didn't want to provoke it by getting out of bed.

Someone knocked on his door gently. He ignored them.

The door creaked open.

"Um, Kyo?"

It was Tohru.

Kyo froze, torn between staying in bed and springing up to follow Tohru around all day.

"Are you awake?"

Kyo still didn't say anything. And then, Yuki's voice floated through the open doorway.

"Just leave him, Miss Honda. He's not worth bothering with."

Kyo's temper flared, but he said nothing, and just listened.

"But..."

"Please, Miss Honda? Leave Kyo for a moment. I've...got something I want to ask you."

Kyo sat bolt upright.

"Kyo! You're awake!" said Tohru brightly. She was carrying a tray laden with Kyo's breakfast.

"What's that for?"

"Oh!" said Tohru, blushing. "Well, I thought you might be feeling ill today, so I brought you breakfast in bed."

"Oh." said Kyo, blushing too. "Er...thanks, I guess."

Tohru left the room with a smile while Kyo ate his breakfast. And then, the perfect solution hit him.

Illness.

He would simply pretend to be ill today. He'd never have to lift a finger, he could stay in bed all day, and he'd have everyone waiting on him hand and foot. It was sheer brilliance!

While Kyo waited for Tohru to collect his tray, he practised his ill faces and coughed a bit.

"Hello Kyo!" said Tohru cheerfully. Kyo flopped back onto the bed dramatically and put on his best ill face. It seemed to work. Tohru's face instantly transformed into a mask of worry.

"Kyo? Are you alright?"

Kyo coughed theatrically. "No...I'm fine..."

"You don't sound fine." said Tohru, crossing over to the bed. She put a hand to his forehead. Kyo felt himself go red.

"And you feel all hot. Are you sure you'll be able to come to school today?"

School! Dammit! Kyo had forgotten all about school. Now, he'd be stuck in the house with Shigure all day, and that was definately _not_ what he had envisaged. Shigure was quite possibly the worst nurse in existence.

"Er...actually..."

"Shigure!" called Tohru, bustling out of the room. "Will you call Hatori please? I don't think Kyo's feeling very well. He might need a doctor."

_Crap_, thought Kyo.

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By the time Hatori had arrived, Yuki and Tohru were at school, and Kyo still didn't know what Yuki had wanted to ask her. Hatori instantly confirmed that Kyo's illness was a fake (admist several wails from Shigure about dishonour and sloth and what was to become of them all) and Kyo was sent off to school anyway at half past ten in the morning.

Kyo slouched along the corridor. It was morning break, and most people were in their classrooms talking noisily.

Most people.

"What did you want to talk to me about, Yuki?"

Kyo's ears pricked up. He span around and saw Yuki and Tohru's shadows approaching on the wall. Quickly, Kyo ducked into an empty cupboard before they turned the corner, leaving the door open so he could listen to their conversation.

Yuki didn't answer at first. Kyo peeped around the edge of the door. Yuki was running his hands through his hair, and he seemed to be having trouble putting what he wanted to say into words.

"Well." he said. There was an uncomfortable silence.

Tohru blinked at him.

"Well...I...was just thinking...er..."

"Thinking of what?" said Tohru innocently.

A flash of inspiration crossed Yuki's face - he had invented an excuse. "Well, you've been looking a bit down recently..."

"I have?" said Tohru. _Liar_, thought Kyo.

"And I thought maybe the fan club girls were making you miserable or something, so I was just wondering if maybe you'd like to come to the arcade with me after school?"

"The arcade? Can I bring Uo and Hana?" asked Tohru, looking excited.

"Well...I was hoping that it would be...just us."

Kyo's mouth fell open. Yuki had just asked Tohru on a date. A date! A damn date! Before he did!

"What about Kyo? Shall we ring up Shigure and see if he's better? I expect he'd like to come too."

"When I said just us, I meant...just me and you." said Yuki, blushing.

Tohru's face went bright red. She had only just cottoned on to what Yuki was asking.

"Oh." she said, in a very small voice.

"So will you come?"

"Er...um...ah...okay..." Tohru muttered, turning tomato red.

Kyo felt like his world had shattered. Yuki...and Tohru. Could it get any worse than this?

He slid down the side of the cupboard, thinking frantically. Did she really like Yuki? Was she just being polite? And why, out of all the girls in the school, why did Yuki pick Tohru?

Kyo threw open the cupboard door and ran. He ran through the corridors, out the entrance and past the school gates, all the time thinking _why, Tohru, why, Tohru, why Tohru why why why why Tohru why..._

And Kyo ran straight into someone.

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When Tohru got back to Shigure's house after her trip to the arcade with Yuki, she found that Kyo wasn't there.

Shigure stuck his head round the door. His eyes took in Yuki and Tohru, both clutching stuffed toys from the grabber machine in the arcade.

"Where's Kyo?" he said.

They both looked puzzled.

"What do you mean? He's supposed to be here, with you." said Tohru. "He's ill."

Shigure shook his head. "I sent him to school. Turns out he was faking it."

Tohru began to look worried.

"Don't worry about it." said Shigure, turning back to his writing. "He'll turn up."

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What Kyo didn't realize was that he had just ran straight into the top fashion designer, Yamato Takahashi, who, by some sheer coincidence, was looking for a male model. They both smacked into each other and fell over.

Yamato was a tall, thin man in his early twenties who had died his hair a rich bronze colour and took great care in spiking it up each morning. His eyes were naturally a bright green colour and the moment that they saw Kyo, they lit up.

"You're perfect!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together with an uncanny resemblance to Ayame.

"Yeah." said Kyo, picking himself up. "Excuse me." He tried to push past the designer, but Yamato snatched his wrist.

"I'm sorry." he said. "But I'm a designer, and I need a new male model for my latest collection, and you're absolutely perfect."

Kyo snorted. "Sorry, Mr Designer, but I'm not interested."

"Oh come on!" said Yamato, bouncing up and down in agitation. "Surely you've heard of me!"

"And...who are you again?"

"_I_ am Yamato Takahashi."

Kyo looked blank.

"The designer." said Yamato.

Kyo still looked blank.

Yamato gave an exasperated sigh. "The guy on the billboard." he said, pointing across the street. And sure enough, on the opposite side of the street was an enormous billboard with Yamato's face on it, and the words "Yamato Takahashi - new collection coming soon." were written on it.

"Oh." said Kyo, pushing past him. "So what?"

"This is a once in a lifetime oppurtunity! I can make you into a whole new person!"

Kyo stopped in his tracks. He turned to face Yamato.

"A whole new person, eh?" he said.

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Tohru was standing at the kitchen window, staring out into the darkness of the night. She had checked his room, she had checked the roof, but Kyo was not there.

So Tohru waited.

And waited.

And waited.

She waited so long that she fell asleep on her feet, toppled over, and then woke up again when she hit her head on the kitchen floor.

But Kyo did not come back.

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Two months later, Kyo still had not returned. Things had changed. Tohru had stopped waiting up every night, but sometimes she would call out for Kyo in her sleep. It was as though someone had taken away her sparkle - she still smiled, but her smile was never genuine.

The billboard had changed too. Now, instead of Yamato Takahashi's smiling face, there was a picture of a boy with white blond hair and dark blue eyes with a charming smile. In the bottom corner of the billboard you could see the boy's name: Kyouya Achimichi.

Yamato Takahashi had been true to his word. He really had made Kyo into a whole new person.

Tohru sat in her classroom, staring out the window with a gloomy expression on her face. From her seat, she could easily see the billboard with the picture of Kyouya Achimichi's face on it, but her eyes were unfocussed. She was daydreaming, and worrying.

"Tohru!" snapped the teacher. Tohru jumped. "Pay attention!"

"Sorry, sir!" said Tohru, blushing.

The teacher glared at her. "As I was saying, a new pupil will be joining our class today, and you, Tohru, will be showing him around school."

"W-Why me?" said Tohru.

"You volunteered." said the teacher.

The class laughed quietly. Tohru's face grew red and hot.

"His name is Kyouya Achimichi." said the teacher.

Instantly, the class erupted into whispers.

"_The_ Kyouya Achimichi?"

"Oh my God! No way!"

"The guy from the billboard!"

There was a knock on the door. Instantly, everyone's eyes snapped round to it. The door creaked open and someone stepped in to the classroom. It was a boy, dressed in the school uniform and fiddling with his tie. His hair was white blond, his eyes were dark blue and he flashed them all a smile.

"Hi." he said. "I'm Kyouya Achimichi. Am I in the right place?"

"Yes, Mr Achimichi." said the teacher, plainly annoyed. All the girls' eyes turned to hearts as they watched Kyouya take a seat.

"Sitting behind you is Tohru Honda," said the teacher, "and she will be showing you around school today."

Kyouya twisted round in his seat to look at Tohru. He smiled his most charming smile and Tohru blushed.

"Hi, Tohru."

"Um, hello." said Tohru, still very red.

Kyo turned back round to face the teacher again, careful not to give anything away in his face. How long would he be able to keep this up for?

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"So how long have you been here?" said Kyo, back in Kyouya Achimichi mode. He and Tohru were walking down the corridor at lunch break, and despite the various offers from girls all around the school, Kyo had refused to leave Tohru's side.

"Almost all my life." said Tohru, smiling. "And you?"

"I only came here recently." said Kyo, flashing Charming Smile #4 at her. It seemed to work. Tohru blushed and looked away.

"Who was that guy who looks like a girl?" said Kyo innocently.

"Oh, you mean Yuki? He's a friend of mine. We're really close."

"How close?"

"What do you mean?"

"There's more than one way of being close to someone."

Tohru blushed.

"Miss Honda?" came a voice from behind them.

"Yuki!" said Tohru, turning around. "How are you?"

Yuki's eyes settled on Kyo and his face hardened. Kyo prayed to all the gods he knew of that Yuki wouldn't recognise him. He'd thought that with a few charm lessons, some new hair dye and some contacts, he would be virtually unrecognisable, but perhaps it took more than that to hide who he really was.

"Oh! I haven't introduced you yet!" said Tohru. "Yuki, this is Kyouya Achimichi. Kyouya, this is Yuki Sohma."

They glared at each other for a moment. Then Kyo remembered who he had to be.

"Nice to meet you." he said, smiling.

Yuki didn't smile back. "A pleasure." he said flatly. Then he turned to Tohru. "Tohru, I need to speak to you in private."

"Um, now?" she said. "I'm supposed to be looking after Kyouya."

"Don't worry," said Yuki, glaring at Kyo, "this'll only take a minute."

Yuki and Tohru turned the corner. Kyo edged along behind them, trying to listen in.

"What's wrong, Yuki?" said Tohru.

"I don't trust that Kyouya Achimichi."

"Why not?"

"There's something about him that doesn't make sense."

"I...don't get it..."

"Have you seen the way he looks at you? He hasn't left your side all day, Tohru, and you should have seen the look he gave me when I said I needed to talk to you alone. I'm telling you, Tohru, this guy is dangerous."

There was a short pause.

"Are you sure? It could just be a misunderstanding, or..."

"Tohru, I want you to be safe."

Tohru made an embarrassed noise.

"Just promise me you'll be careful, OK?"

"Mm-hmm." said Tohru, quietly.

She and Yuki turned back around the corner. Kyo smiled Tohru. "Hey Tohru!" He glared at Yuki, then remembered he had to convince Yuki that he wasn't a stalker, so he smiled again. "Hello Yuki."

"Hello Kyouya." said Yuki. Then he turned to Tohru. "I've got to go now, but I'll see you after school, okay?"

Tohru nodded. "Okay."

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Yuki came to fetch Tohru at the end of school immediately, so she couldn't spend a second longer with Kyo. They walked home together in a slightly awkward silence.

"Yuki! Tohru! You're back!" said Shigure.

"Hello Shigure!" said Tohru, smiling.

"Well aren't we cheerful today!" said Shigure. "What happened, Tohru? Did some guy finally confess his deep and undying love for you? Something had to put that smile back on your face!"

Tohru went tomato red.

Yuki scowled at Shigure.

"I seem to have touched a nerve." Shigure chuckled.

"I'm going to my room." muttered Yuki.

"So Tohru? What happened?"

"N-Nothing happened! I-It's n-not like that, Shigure!"

Shigure pouted. "Well, aren't you going to tell me about your day?"

Tohru sat down at the table. "Well, I made a new friend today. His name's Kyouya."

Shigure's eyes lit up. "And how is..._Kyouya_?"

"Oh, he's really nice!" said Tohru, oblivious to the crafty look on Shigure's face. "He's really friendly and funny and clever and you'll never guess, but he's a model!"

"_Is_ he now?" said Shigure, eyes gleaming.

"Yeah! He's on the billboard outside our school!"

"And is he..._worthy_ of being a model, Tohru?"

Tohru flushed red again. "Oh, I wouldn't know that..." she mumbled.

Shigure's eyes sparkled. "I think you do, Tohru."

Just then, the phone rang. Tohru breathed a sigh of relief. Shigure pouted again and picked up the phone.

"Shigure Sohma speaking."

"Shigure! It's been too long since we last saw each other!" Ayame squealed down the phone.

"Aya!" said Shigure. "How are you?"

"Simply radiant, Gure. Although my long and lonely absence from you has taken its toll, I can feel my soul lifting as you speak."

"You haven't changed."

"Did you think I would?"

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Aya?"

"_Well_, I was just calling to ask how Tohru and Yuki are getting along now the cat's out of the way."

"Not too good, I'm afraid. Tohru's been really miserable ever since he disappeared, and they haven't come any further since they went on that date to the arcade."

"THEY WENT ON A DATE?!" Ayame screeched down the phone. "Shigure! Why did you keep this a secret from me? You know that the welfare of Tohru and Yuki is of extreme importance to me! How can you vex me so?"

"That's not all." said Shigure, unable to hold it in any longer. "There's a new boy in Tohru's class who she's taken quite a shine to."

"WHAT?!" shreiked Ayame. Shigure heard something smash in the background. "But who is this ruffian? And what does he think he's doing, separating Tohru and Yuki like this? She'll be stolen away, Shigure, and we'll never see her again! And Yuki will never find true love! He'll waste away and die and Tohru will be trapped forever in the clutches of this evil boy and I won't get to design her wedding dress and what if they don't even get married, Gure? What if he tricks her into living a life of sin and desecration! We must stop our dear sweet Tohru from falling into this evil trap!"

"By any chance, is that my brother on the phone?" said Yuki, entering the room again.

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Tohru was in her bedroom, brushing her hair by the moonlight and humming to herself. She had done all her chores and homework, but she couldn't sleep. So she decided to sit and brush her hair and think.

"Hey! Tohru!" came a voice.

Tohru looked up. There was no-one in her room.

"I'm down here!"

Tohru crossed over to the window and looked out. She saw Kyouya Achimichi standing underneath her window, his hair glinting in the moonlight.

"Kyouya! What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you!"

Tohru blushed. "Why?"

"I've got something I want to show you."

"Now? It's so late!"

"Trust me, this can't wait." said Kyo, giving her Adorable Look #6. Again, it worked.

"Okay." said Tohru. She clambered out of her bedroom window and was soon looking hopefully up at him.

Kyo smiled Adorably Charming Smile #2. Tohru blushed.

"Come on." he said, taking her hand and pulling her after him.

Kyo dragged Tohru to a clearing in the woods surrounding Shigure's house. He'd found it a few years ago, and as far as he was aware, nobody else knew about it.

"Close your eyes, Tohru." said Kyo, just before they were going to enter the clearing.

"Why?" she said, looking excited.

Kyo put on Adorably Excited Face #3. Once again, it worked. Yamato really knew how to work facial expressions. But the point is, Tohru closed her eyes. Gently, Kyo led her into the clearing.

"You can open your eyes now." he said.

Tohru gasped.

The clearing was beautiful. Near the edge of the clearing, there was a little waterfall that cascaded into a clear pool, the stars reflecting on its surface. The grass was soft and green, and little fireflies brushed the tips of the blades of grass as they flew around the clearing. Opposite the waterfall was an enormous weeping willow that was covered in dew, and it sparkled in the light of the full moon hanging overhead and the stars twinkling in the sky.

"It's...beautiful..." murmured Tohru. Kyo beamed.

"It's my secret place." said Kyo, fingertips brushing against against the rough bark of the willow tree. "I've known about it for ages. I'm the only one who comes here."

"How did you find it?" said Tohru, staring at him in awe.

"I got lost." Sheepishly Charming Face #8 came into play. Tohru blushed again.

A light breeze swept around the clearing, and the leaves of the willow tree lifted slightly in the wind. If Kyo and Tohru had looked closer at the tree, then perhaps they would have picked out a dark figure hiding in the branches of the willow tree, but as it was, they were both too preoccupied with each other to notice.

Tohru sat down at the water's edge and trailed her fingers in the icy cold water. She stared into its surface, and was startled to see the expression on her reflection's face. She'd never seen that one before...

Tohru's gaze moved from her reflection to the reflection of the willow tree. For one brief second, she could have sworn she saw something move in its branches, something that looked almost like a shadow, but then it was gone. Tohru shivered.

"Are you cold?" Kyo asked.

"A little." Tohru admitted. "But it's OK. Don't worry about it."

"A gentleman will always worry about a _lady_. I'll go and get your coat."

"Oh, you don't have to do that."

"Of course I do!" Caring And Charming Smile #1 played around Kyo's lips. "I'll be right back."

"Well...okay."

Kyo left the clearing. Tohru stared at the waterfall, watching the ripples it made on the pond's clear surface. If only her mum could be here to see this. She would have loved it.

"Hello Tohru." said a voice from behind her. Tohru flinched and almost fell in the pool. She turned around.

Standing right in front of her, a grim and foreboding smile on his face, was Akito Sohma.

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"Let me get this straight." said Shigure, partly talking to Yuki and partly talking to Ayame, who had refused to get off the phone. "You think that this Kyouya Achimichi is...stalking Tohru."

Yuki nodded, and said "That's correct." for Ayame's benefit.

"Kyouya Achimichi...even his name sounds evil..." Ayame muttered.

"But Tohru doesn't believe you."

"That's right."

"Well she's far too sweet and innocent to suspect anything of anyone!"

"And you want me to help you...what was it again?"

Yuki sighed. "I need your help convincing her that he's trouble. We need evidence, because she won't hear a word against him without it."

"But what makes you think he is a stalker? I mean..."

THUD.

Yuki and Shigure's eyes snapped up to the ceiling.

"What is it? What was that strange noise, Gure? Gure? Guuuuuuu-reeeeeeeee! Yoo-hoo!"

"That bang just came from Tohru's room..." said Shigure.

Yuki jumped up and hurtled towards Tohru's bedroom. He threw open the door and saw Kyo, holding Tohru's coat, an expression of pure terror on his face. He also saw Tohru's empty bed and his temper exploded.

"What have you done with Tohru?" said Yuki, advancing on him.

Kyo didn't answer, he just jumped straight out the window and ran. Yuki hurtled back downstairs. Shigure looked shocked.

"Tohru's gone and I just found Achimichi in her room!" he yelled.

"What?"

"Gure, if you don't tell me what's going on right now I'll scream!" said Ayame threateningly.

"Ayame, bring the car round as fast as you can. Tohru's been kidnapped by Kyouya Achimichi. Yuki and I are going after her. We'll meet you later."

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"Hello Akito." said Tohru nervously. "W-What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help you, Tohru." said Akito, taking a step towards her. Tohru edged back slightly, taking care not to fall in the water. Akito smiled wryly.

"You have been deceived, Tohru." he said, still smiling.

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"Can't you run any faster, you damn dog?" yelled Yuki, already passing out of Shigure's sight.

"I'm a writer, not a bloody athlete!" Shigure yelled, gasping for breath.

Yuki hurtled through the trees, his eyes fixed on Kyo's white-blond head and following it.

"You wait till I catch you, Achimichi!" he yelled. "What have you done to Tohru?"

Kyo couldn't answer, he was gasping for breath. He hadn't run this fast since the day he met Yamato, and those months of not exercising had plainly taken their toll. He was already beginning to get a stitch.

But if they caught him, they would find out who he really was. And once they knew, Tohru would know, and once Tohru knew that he'd been lying to her...

He didn't want to think about it.

He sped up. He hadn't become Kyouya Achimichi for nothing.

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Akito took another step towards Tohru. She didn't move. Whether she was frozen by fear, or by curiousity, it was hard to tell.

"What do you mean, deceived?" she said in a small voice.

Akito's cruel smile widened. He bent down and whispered in her ear.

"Kyouya Achimichi doesn't exist."

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Shigure's mobile was ringing. Gasping, he leant on a tree for support and answered it.

"He...Hello?" he wheezed.

"I've got the car, Shigure." said Ayame. "I'm waiting on the south edge of the forest."

"Good." Shigure panted. "Yu...Yuki's still chasing Ky...Kyouya." he gasped.

"Any sign of Tohru?"

"None so far. Achimichi seems to know wh...where she is though, so Yuki's following him."

"Okay then. I'll just...oh."

"What is it?"

"There's another car here."

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Tohru looked puzzled. "How can he not exist?" she said, her eyes wide and confused.

Akito sighed. "You poor thing, Tohru. He's got you so infatuated that you don't even think to question him."

Tohru blushed.

"He's been lying to you."

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"What do you mean, another car? Whose is it, Aya?"

"It's a car from Sohma House." said Ayame.

"Who? Who's driving it? Aya!"

"Hatori..."

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Kyo crashed into the clearing, gasping for breath. Tohru was sitting by the edge of the water. Her eyes were wide, her breath seemed to catch in her throat.

"Come on Tohru!" he said, running towards her. "We've got to get out of here!"

Tohru didn't move.

"Tohru! Get up!" he yelled, pulling on her hand. With surprising force, she yanked her hand out of his grasp and turned away.

"Tohru?" said Kyo gently.

"You lied to me." she whispered. Tears shimmered in her eyes.

Kyo froze.

"Kyo, you lied to me!" she said, turning to face him. The tears began to escape, and they trickled slowly down her cheeks.

All the colour drained out of Kyo's face. "T-Tohru...I..."

"Do you have any idea how scared I was? How worried? How afraid? And all this time, you were right in front of me?"

"Please, Tohru, I can explain..." said Kyo in a pleading voice, laying a hand on her shoulder.

Tohru buried her head in her hands. "Please don't touch me." she whispered.

"Tohru..." said Kyo. It was easy to hear the tears threatening his own voice.

Suddenly, someone hurtled into Kyo's back. Tohru ducked, and the two of them sailed right over her head and splashed into the pool.

"Miss Honda! Get out of here!" said Yuki, forcing Kyo's blond head under the water.

Tohru began to sob.

"I said go!" yelled Yuki. Tohru looked up at him, and saw anger and fear and resentment on his face. But she thought they were directed at her.

"GO!" Yuki yelled.

Tohru took a step backwards and banged into someone. Akito's voice whispered in her ear.

"I don't think they want you here, Tohru."

Yuki froze as he saw the look on the head of the Sohma clan's face. He had never seen anyone look so evil in his life.

"Come with me, Tohru. You don't have to stay where you're not wanted. You don't have to put up with all the lies and hatred and deceit. I can take you away from all that. To somewhere where they'll never hurt you again."

Tohru turned to face him. She looked incredibly vulnerable in the moonlight. Her eyes were wide and swimming with tears, and she was still wearing her yellow pajamas. By contrast, Akito looked like an angel of death, dressed entirely in black, the moonlight making his sharp, cold features look sharper and colder.

"You mean it?" she said quietly.

Akito's hand lightly brushed her cheek. "I'd never let anyone hurt _you_." he said. Yuki began to shake. He knew that voice. If Tohru went with Akito, he'd never ever see her again. Akito would hide her away from everyone, and God only knew what Akito was capable of doing.

Tohru looked over her shoulder at Yuki and Kyo. Yuki was frozen, fear written all over his face, still holding Kyo's head under the water. Kyo's hair dye had rinsed itself out now, thanks to his gurgling and splashing, but Yuki hadn't noticed.

"I'm going now, Yuki." said Tohru.

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"What's Hatori doing here?" said Shigure in disbelief.

"I don't know...Wait! I can see Tohru!"

"What? Where is she? Is she all right? Who's she with? She's not wounded, is she?"

There was a stunned silence on Ayame's end of the phone.

"Ayame! Answer me, dammit!"

Ayame licked his dry lips nervously and put the phone back to his ear. "She's got into the car. She's with Akito."

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"Yuki! Quick! We've got to save Tohru! Where are you?"

Shigure crashed into the clearing and saw Yuki forcing Kyo's head under the water and yelling "You stupid idiot! You stupid, stupid idiot!" For a split second, Kyo came gasping up for air, but then Yuki forced his head back into the pool.

"Kyo?" said Shigure in disbelief. "What the...Yuki! Come on! Stop drowning Kyo and come and help me!"

Yuki scowled at Shigure, but let go of Kyo's head. Kyo gasped, coughed and spluttered for breath, and Shigure saw his blue contact lenses drop out as he rubbed his eyes.

Shigure's brain went into overdrive.

"Why you little..."

"You were saying, Shigure?" said Yuki curtly.

"Akito's got Tohru. Ayame saw them get into a car and drive off somewhere. He's waiting for us at the southern edge of the forest. Come on."

Without a word, Yuki got out of the pool and shook himself dry. Kyo clung onto the edge, coughing and spluttering.

"Well?" said Yuki coldly.

"Well what?" said Kyo.

"Are you coming or not?"

Kyo sprung out of the pool and shook himself like a dog. Then he straightened up.

"Let's go."

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"Are you all right, Tohru?" asked Hatori quietly. They were driving swiftly and silently towards Sohma House, where Akito had said Tohru would be safe.

Akito shot Hatori an evil glare from the back seat. Hatori pretended not to notice.

"I'm fine." said Tohru, wiping her eyes. "And I really appreciate what you're doing for me, Akito, Hatori."

"Why did you leave Yuki behind?" Hatori asked.

"Shut up and drive, Hatori." said Akito.

Tohru and Hatori both fell into silence. Tohru was beginning to think that this wasn't such a good idea...

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"Get in!" yelled Ayame, throwing open the car door. "We don't have much time!"

They all piled into Ayame's car, and Ayame slammed his foot down on the accelerator and they shot forwards.

Then Ayame noticed Kyo.

"What's he doing here? And where did he get such nice clothes?"

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Akito, Hatori and Tohru arrived shortly at Sohma House. Akito yanked Tohru out of the car and pulled her inside, leaving Hatori standing by the car, worrying.

"Come on." said Akito roughly, yanking Tohru inside.

Hatori made his decision. He took out his phone and made a call. Then he followed Akito and Tohru inside.

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Shigure put down the phone. "They're at Sohma House."

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Akito pushed Tohru into a small, dark room. He followed her inside and shut the door with a snap that seemed to echo around the room. Tohru was very nervous.

"Um...Akito? Where are you?"

She couldn't see a thing in this darkness. It trapped her, it engulfed her, it stifled her. When she was little she had been terribly afraid of the dark. Now, she felt the old fears rushing back to her and she began to tremble.

"Akito? Please, come out."

She couldn't hear a thing in this silence. It was almost as bad as the dark. It made her feel as though she was completely alone, and the only thing she could hear was the sound of her own breathing. It sounded terrified.

"Akito?"

"I'm behind you."

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Ayame's car screeched to a halt outside the house. Kyo bounded out the door and hurtled towards the front door. It was locked, but the sheer force of Kyo's impact was enough to break the lock open.

"Come on!" he yelled to the others. But they were already following him.

They ran through endless corridors, past endless doors, but got nowhere.

Kyo roared in frustration and pounded his fists on the wall. "This is hopeless! We don't know where she is! We don't even know if she's still alive! What are we going to do?"

"Well if _you_ hadn't run off and dyed your hair, none of this would have happened, you idiot!" yelled Yuki. "It's all your fault!"

"Shut up!" yelled Kyo.

"It's all your fault!" Yuki screamed. "You don't care if she lives or dies, you bastard! It's all your fault!"

"SHUT UP!" yelled Kyo, swinging his fist at Yuki's face.

The dull thump of Kyo's punch echoed throughout the corridor. There was a stunned silence. Kyo had never, ever, _ever_ landed a blow on Yuki before.

And in the silence, there came a bloodcurdling scream. Everyone flinched.

"Tohru." muttered Kyo. "Tohru!"

From upstairs, there came a series of repeated bangs and thumps. Everyone rushed up the stairs as fast as they could. They saw the locked door at the end of the corridor, bucking from the force of the banging. Tohru screamed again, louder and longer this time.

"TOHRU!" yelled Yuki and Kyo simultaneously.

"Let me out! Let me out, let me out! Please!" she begged, banging on the door with her fists. Suddenly, her screams were muffled and the banging stopped as she was dragged away from the door. They heard the soft murmur of Akito's voice.

Kyo launched himself at the door, tugging and kicking and hitting it with all his might. But it wouldn't budge. Yuki joined in too, but the door still wouldn't open.

Shigure grabbed an ancient katana mounted on the wall. He pulled it out of its sheath and pushed Yuki and Kyo aside.

In one swift cut, Shigure sliced through the lock and the door opened.

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Light flooded into the dark room and Tohru blinked, almost blinded by its brightness. Standing in the doorway, she saw Shigure, Ayame, Yuki and Kyo staring at her in shock. For some reason, Shigure was holding a scary-looking katana and Yuki had a large bruise on his face. But the sight of them was enough to make her smile.

At that point, she had temporarily forgotten that she was trapped in a small dark room with a lunatic who was holding a dagger to her throat and clamping a hand over her mouth. But then again, such things often happen when people see their friends when they need them most, and Tohru Honda was renowned for her sudden memory lapses.

Anyway.

Shigure raised the katana and pointed it at Akito. "Let her go." he said quietly.

Akito laughed madly. His eyes were wide and his hands were bloodstained. "She's mine now, Shigure. All mine."

"I said let her go."

"Poor Shigure. Do you miss your dear sweet Tohru?" Akito said, turning Tohru's head so she was looking at him. The fear was plainly visible in her eyes, and Akito's mad grin widened. "She's my Tohru now, Shigure. You won't ever get her back, because she's mine. My dear sweet Tohru." he said, cackling madly.

"She'll never be yours, you sick bastard!" yelled Kyo, stepping forwards. Akito's eyes glinted like steel.

"Why would she ever want to leave me? I've given her a place away from you, and your lies, and your deceit, and your hatred. She's mine because she wants to be. She hates you!"

Kyo's eyes widened. Tohru tried to shake her head and deny it, but Akito was holding onto her so hard, that his fingers were drawing blood from her cheek.

"She hates you all!" hissed Akito, laughing.

"We don't hate her." said Yuki quietly. "No matter what you've made her believe, we don't hate her."

Both Akito and Tohru froze.

"We like her."

"We need her."

"We want her back."

"We...We love her."

Tohru's eyes swam with hopeful tears. Akito's eyes narrowed, and he glared at them all. Slowly, the four of them moved so they were surrounding Akito and Tohru, Shigure standing behind Akito and pressing the tip of the sword lightly against his back.

"Let her go now, Akito." he said quietly.

Slowly, reluctantly, Akito dropped the dagger and let go of Tohru. As soon as Akito had relinquished his hold on her, Tohru ran as fast as she could from the dark room, Yuki and Kyo hot on her heels. Ayame followed, and Shigure was last to leave, still pointing the sword at Akito.

"I hate you, Shigure." Akito spat. "I hate you! I _hate_ you!"

Shigure said nothing. He left in silence.

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"I don't know how to thank you all." said Tohru for the hundredth time. They were back at Shigure's house, and they all sat around the table fussing over Tohru. Hatori was applying a mysterious paste to her various cuts and bruises, Shigure and Ayame were fluffing up the cushions behind her head, and Yuki was stroking her hair. Kyo was holding her hand, and avoiding her gaze.

"Just don't go trusting everyone you see." said Hatori. "I would have thought you had learned by now. Akito is dangerous."

"He's not..._that_ dangerous, is he?"

Everyone's mouth fell open.

"Tohru, he tried to _kill_ you."

"It's my belief that Akito suffers from a rare mental condition that can cause him to..." said Hatori.

"...go totally crazy?" Shigure suggested.

"Quite."

"So it's not his fault?" Tohru asked.

"You could say that." said Hatori.

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Someone knocked on Tohru's bedroom door.

"Come in!" she called cheerfully.

"Um, hi." said Kyo.

"Oh. It's you." said Tohru, a little stiffly.

"How you feeling?" he asked.

"Still a bit sore."

"Oh."

In the silence that followed, they heard crickets chirping in the forest.

"Listen, I want to apologise."

"For what?"

"Are you kidding? What do you mean, for what? It's all my fault. You could have _died_, Tohru. Everything that's happened in these past two months has been all my fault."

"Why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Why did you...become Kyouya Achimichi?"

Kyo sighed. "It started when I overheard Yuki ask you out. I was so jealous, I couldn't think. So I ran away from the school. Then I bumped into this designer guy, who said he needed a new model. He told me he could make me into a whole new person. I didn't want to be Kyo Sohma any more! I wanted to be someone you'd respect, and like, someone you'd..."

"Yes?"

"Someone you would...think was better than Yuki. Maybe even someone you might even..."

"Yes?"

There was an uncomfortable silence. Kyo coughed to cover up his embarrassment.

"I've said too much. I'll go now."

"No! Wait!" said Tohru, catching his hand. Kyo turned to look at her, his face slightly red.

"I do like you. And I do respect you. But I like and respect you the way you are, Kyo. Kyouya Achimichi might have been better than Yuki, but he hasn't got a patch on you."

Kyo smiled. "Thanks."

Tohru smiled back. "Any time."

They stared at each other for a moment. Then Kyo took her in his arms and hugged her. There was a puff of smoke, and Kyo turned into a cat.

"We've really got to stop doing that."

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Thank you very much for reading. If you have any suggestions, please let me know, they will always be considered. Don't forget to feed the review junkie!


	4. Snow White

Okay, here we are! Due to popular demand (well, relatively popular, anyway) this chapter has a serious Yuki x Tohru vibe about it, and contains mild swearing, poison and Hatori being incredibly cool. Enjoy!

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Akito was not happy.

Well, there were very few times when Akito was truly happy anyway, but now, he was in such a foul mood that it was unusual, even for him. Everyone in Sohma House avoided Akito's entire corridor, and if they had to walk past his room they would either tiptoe past incredibly quietly, or just make a wild run for safety. No-one knew the cause of Akito's anger, and in any case, no-one wanted to get close enough to ask him.

Akito screamed in anger. In his office, Hatori heard the scream and tried to ignore it. Akito would calm down soon. Hopefully.

Akito smashed his fist into the wall and the skin broke across his knuckles. Blood trickled over his hand, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Tohru Honda." he muttered in a dangerously low voice.

As strange as it may seem, the sweet and innocent Tohru Honda was the cause of his anger. He had been so very, very close to having her under his control, but then she had slipped through his fingers. It was like trying to hold onto a handful of sand - just when you thought you had it trapped, it escaped through a gap you didn't even know was there. And today (which happened to be Akito's birthday) she had had the nerve to send him a birthday card.

A birthday card!

This was what it had said:

_Dear Akito,_

_I'm sorry that we didn't get on so well the last time we met, but I hope you can forgive me for offending you. I really hope we can be friends. Have a great birthday!_

_Love from Tohru_

Akito was incensed. He didn't need her pity, or her false promises of love and friendship. She was an annoyance, who at the very least could be tolerated or ignored. But to approach him like this...

He didn't need it. He didn't want it.

It was time to get rid of Tohru Honda once and for all.

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Tohru, Yuki, Kyo and Shigure were sitting and talking while eating lunch. Everyone was happy - everything was perfect.

Then there was a knock on the door. Shigure got up and opened it. Hatori was standing there, and there was a black car behind him.

"Hatori! Good to see you!" said Shigure, ushering him inside. "Tohru, do we have enough food left for Hatori?"

"Of course!" said Tohru, smiling at Hatori cheerfully. However, Hatori didn't return the smile.

"I haven't come to eat, Shigure." said Hatori seriously. "Akito wants to see you all at the main house. Now."

Everyone froze. Hatori paused for a moment, and then said "The invitation was not extended to you, Tohru, so I suggest you stay here. We wouldn't want to anger Akito in his current state."

Everyone exchanged dubious glances.

"His current state?" asked Shigure, eyebrows raised. Hatori ignored him.

"You better get in. We shouldn't keep Akito waiting."

"Well...goodbye..." said Tohru uncertainly. "Er...have fun!"

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The entire Sohma clan was gathered in Akito's quarters. All of them were silent. No-one dared say a word, as they had all heard about Akito's terrible fit of rage earlier that morning. And all because of a birthday card.

"I have come to a decision." said Akito. His voice was quiet, but it cut through the silence like a knife through butter.

"It is no longer convenient for Tohru Honda to remain in contact with our family. Her memory will be erased. She will leave Shigure's house immediately. You are all forbidden to have any contact with her."

Kisa let out a tiny little gasp. Akito shot her a vicious glare.

"Why, Akito?" she said quietly. "Has Tohru done something bad?"

Akito seemed to bristle with anger. No-one moved a muscle.

Then Akito strode over to where Kisa was sitting and slapped her so hard that she toppled over from the force of the blow.

There was silence.

"Do I need to give a reason? I am the head of this family. I make the rules. Never question my judgement, or I will make you suffer for it." Akito hissed.

Kisa was silent.

"With all due respect," said Hatori carefully, "I think it would be too hard to erase her memory. There are too many people who know of her...attatchment to us. We can't erase all their memories, it would look too suspicious."

Akito rounded on Hatori. "Are you questioning my decision, Hatori?"

Hatori shook his head and kept his head down.

Akito turned away from him. "Nevertheless, Hatori is right. Tohru's memory will not be erased, but she will be banished from us, and all of you are forbidden to contact her in any way. Have I made myself clear?"

There was silence.

Akito smirked. "I'll take that as a yes."

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When Yuki, Kyo and Shigure returned, they were silent and miserable. Tohru was waiting for them at the door, smiling anxiously.

"What happened? Are you all OK? What did Akito say?"

They didn't answer her. They only exchanged uncomfortable looks, and refused to meet her gaze.

"What's wrong?" said Tohru.

They were silent for another moment, and then Shigure stepped forwards.

"Akito has forbidden all of us to have any contact with you. We are never allowed to speak to you again. You must leave the house immediately." he said in a flat, emotionless voice.

Tohru looked stunned. "Y-You're...joking, right?" she said hopefully.

"Do you think any of us would joke about a thing like this?" said Yuki quietly.

"Akito wanted to erase your memory as well, but Hatori convinced him otherwise."

Tohru was frozen.

"Tohru? Do you...understand?"

"Y-Yes! Of course! I'll...I'll just go and pack, shall I?" she stammered, staring at their downcast faces. Within five minutes, Tohru was standing at the door, all her worldly possessions crammed into a rucksack and an awkward expression on her face.

"Well...goodbye, I guess." she said, watching their faces closely.

None of them said anything. After an extremely uncomfortable silence, Tohru turned and walked away from them, leaving her home behind.

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Tohru wandered through the acres of forest, searching aimlessly for somewhere to be. She didn't know where she was going to stay, she didn't know what she was going to do, and above all, she didn't know what on Earth she had done to make Akito so angry. Her mind whirled with endless thoughts of Yuki and Kyo and Shigure and Hatori and Akito...and she walked in endless circles through the cold, dark forest, so confused that she felt her head might explode or that her heart might break.

"Tohru?" said a quiet voice.

Tohru whirled around so fast she almost fell over. It was Hatori who had spoken. He had appeared out of the trees so quickly and so quietly that she hadn't even noticed he was there.

"Oh! Hatori! I...thought you weren't allowed to talk to me."

"What Akito doesn't know can't hurt him." he said, beckoning her off into the forest. She followed.

"Where are we going?"

"There's a place where you can stay in the forest. It used to belong to the Sohmas, but no-one uses it any more. It's still in relatively good condition, though."

"Oh, thank you, Hatori!" Tohru cried, opening her arms wide for a hug. Hatori backed away.

"Eh-heh. Sorry about that." said Tohru. "I forget."

Hatori led Tohru to an old log cabin in the centre of the forest. It was about the size of a small cottage, and there were several weeds and nettles growing up the path, but, as Tohru reasoned, there were no gaping holes in it, and it was decidedly better than sleeping on the floor.

Hatori produced an old silver key like a magician produces the ace of spades and let Tohru inside.

It smelled awful.

"It's been abandoned for about four or five years now." said Hatori apologetically, placing the key in Tohru's hands. "It's...going to need a lot of work."

Tohru only looked slightly daunted at the kitchen surfaces that faced her, completely covered in grime.

"You should have seen Shigure's kitchen when I first arrived." she said, rolling up her sleeves. "I'll be fine."

Hatori looked at her for a moment, with something almost like affection in his eyes.

"Be careful, Tohru." he said.

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When Tohru arrived home from grocery shopping that day, it was to see Kisa standing outside the cabin's front door. She had a nasty, hand-shaped bruise on the side of her face, and she was standing on tiptoe and trying to peer through the windows.

"Kisa!" said Tohru, dropping her shopping and almost squashing the little girl in an enormous hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you, Tohru!" said Kisa happily. "I've come to help you!"

"That's great! But...what about Akito?"

Kisa was silent for a moment. Then she said "What Akito doesn't know can't hurt him."

"Have you been talking to Hatori?"

"Ssshh! It's a secret!" Kisa giggled.

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Kisa helped Tohru clean the filthy cabin and prepare a simple meal. But as the evening drew on, Kisa seemed to get more and more reluctant to leave.

"I really think you should go home now, Kisa. They'll be worried about you." said Tohru, looking at the clock.

"I don't want to go home." said Kisa, folding her arms. "I don't like it with Akito there. He scares me."

Tohru smiled sadly. "I'm sure he's not that bad."

Kisa pointed to a large, hand-shaped bruise on the side of her face. "Yes he is. Please don't make me go back there, Tohru."

Tohru's self-control melted under Kisa's puppy-eyed stare. "Of course you can stay." she said, hugging her.

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In Shigure's house, the phone rang. When Shigure realised that neither Kyo nor Yuki was going to be bothered to pick it up, he sighed and answered it himself.

"Shigure?" said Hatori's voice.

"Hello Hatori." said Shigure miserably. Hatori heard Shigure's stomach rumble on the other end of the line.

"Have you seen Kisa?" he asked.

"No, why?"

"She's not here."

"Has she run away again?"

"I don't know. Possibly. Keep your eyes open, all right?"

"I will."

Shigure put the phone down. As Hatori did the same, he couldn't help noticing that Shigure talked a lot less when Tohru wasn't around.

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The next day, when Tohru returned home from her job, it was to see Hatsuharu and Hiro standing outside the house, trying to peer through the windows.

"Hatsuharu! Hiro! Who are you looking for?" she said, waving merrily at them.

She saw them exchange a look before Hatsuharu answered.

"Have you seen Kisa?"

Tohru's expression changed to one of worry. "I told her she should have gone home last night."

"She's with you then?" said Hiro. "She's safe?"

"Of course she's safe!" said Tohru, opening the door and inviting them in. "Kisa! Hatsuharu and Hiro are here to see you!" she called.

Kisa skipped into the kitchen and threw her arms around the pair of them at once, giggling happily. Tohru smiled.

"Can I get you anything?" she asked.

"No, we're fine." said Hatsuharu, although his stomach was growling like an angry bear.

"Yes!" said Hiro. "I want a muffin and a milkshake. Strawberry flavour. With a twirly straw in."

"I don't think we have any twirly straws..." said Tohru, looking worried.

"You call yourself a hostess when you don't have any twirly straws?" Hiro scoffed.

"I want to help make it!" said Kisa. "Haru! Hiro! You can help too!"

"OK." said Hiro shyly.

"Sure." said Hatsuharu. "If that's OK with you, Tohru."

Tohru smiled. "That'd be lovely." she said.

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Once again, Kyo was sulking on the roof. He was bored, he was lonely, and what's more, everyone had refused to do any cooking at all, so he was very, _very_ hungry. The hunger he felt was almost like pain, it was so bad...

Kyo sat bolt upright. The most delicious smell he had ever smelt was wafting towards him...He could smell melting chocolate and baking cakes and the slightest hint of that mysterious tasty substance which makes homemade cakes smell so good...

Kyo's mouth began to water, and he followed the scent.

Kyo's nose led him to a small log cabin in the forest. He could see a tray of delicious, chocolate chip muffins cooling on the windowsill. The smell was so strong it was hard to resist reaching out and taking one of the delicious, fresh baked cakes and cramming it into his mouth in one go. They must taste so delicious...

Quietly, Kyo crept up to the windowsill. He carefully reached up his hand and felt around, grasping for a cake.

"Cake thief!" someone screamed. Kyo yelled, yanked his hand away and scuttled away from the window.

"Kyo?" said Tohru, holding the tray of cakes.

"Tohru?" said Kyo.

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Meanwhile, at Shigure's house...

"Shiguuuuuuu-rreeeeeeeeee!!!!"

Yuki sprinted up the stairs to his room as Ayame burst through the front door. He was closely followed by Momiji, who looked around expectantly for Yuki. But Yuki was nowhere to be seen - he was in his room, leaning against his bedroom door and muttering "Oh no, please no, not again..."

"Aya!" said Shigure, running towards Ayame in slow motion.

"Gure!" said Ayame, running towards Shigure in slow motion.

"I've missed you!"

"No, I've missed you!"

"No, I've missed..."

"I can smell something yummy!" said Momiji, skipping towards the kitchen. "Is Tohru baking again?"

Shigure and Ayame stopped running towards each other in slow motion.

"Oh. Sorry." said Momiji. "I forgot."

"That's all right." said Shigure, clapping a hand on Momiji's shoulder. "But now that you mention it, I can smell something very tasty."

Ayame sniffed the air tentatively. "Cake?"

"Muffins. Chocolate chip ones. Freshly baked chocolate chip ones. Freshly baked chocolate chip muffins..." said Shigure, beginning to drool.

"What I wouldn't give for your sense of smell, Gure." Ayame sighed.

"Let's go find the cake!" said Momiji, jumping up and down.

"Yes! With Shigure's sense of smell, Momiji's youthful energy and my godlike beauty there is no way we can possibly fail!" Ayame proclaimed, his eyes sparkling excitedly. "Onwards, fair friends, into the breach!" and with that, Ayame lead the way out the door, Momiji skipping along behind him.

Shigure sniffed the air experimentally, and then pointed towards the forest.

"That way!" he said.

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Ten minutes later, Shigure, Ayame and Momiji were eyeing the chocolate chip muffins resting on the windowsill with unmistakeable hunger. Currently, all three of them were hiding in a bush near the log cabin and planning "The Great Cake Snatching Strategy" in hushed voices.

Tohru went over to the windowsill to check if they were cooled down enough, and to her horror, she saw that a bug had landed on one of the cakes. She sighed, picked it up and chucked it into the bushes.

"Cake!" yelled Shigure, diving forwards to catch it.

"Cake?" cried Ayame, popping his head out from behind the bush.

"Tohru!" yelled Momiji, running towards the window.

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Ten minutes later, Hiro, Kisa, Hatsuharu, Kyo, Ayame, Shigure and Momiji were seated round the table with expectant expressions on their faces. Shigure was looking very upset, because he had dropped the cake and then Ayame had trodden on it, so neither of them had eaten anything. Kyo was looking rather annoyed, because Ayame had launched into a long and lengthy speech about Tohru being "the perfect housewife, can't you just imagine the little bride she would make one day, any man would be lucky to have her..." and he wasn't shutting up.

"Of course, if Tohru was going to pick any man to marry then naturally, it would have to be Yuki..." Ayame said, laughing.

Kyo crunched his hands into fists.

"The cakes are ready!" said Tohru cheerfully. Everyone's heads snapped up.

"Why Tohru, you are simply too good to us!" said Ayame, while his hand shot out and grabbed a muffin. "I don't know what we would do without you!"

Tohru blushed.

Shigure crammed his muffin into his mouth. "It's very good." he said between mouthfuls.

Kisa was picking out all the chocolate chips and arranging them in a pattern on her plate. Hiro, watching her carefully, was doing the same.

Kyo was just trying to cram as many muffins as possible into his mouth at once.

Tohru smiled.

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Meanwhile, at Shigure's house, Yuki unlocked his bedroom door tentatively. It was really quiet, almost...too quiet. Had Ayame left?

Yuki took a careful step outside his bedroom door and looked up and down the corridor. It was deserted.

Slowly and quietly, he tiptoed down the stairs and peeped around the living room door. No-one was there. He searched the kitchen, Shigure's study, the bedrooms and every other place he could think of, but no-one was there. The front door had been left wide open, and Yuki could see Ayame's car outisde the house, and his shoes still left by the front door.

"Where is everyone?"

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Night was falling now, and the seven Sohmas and Tohru were sitting in the log cabin's tiny living room, laughing and talking happily. It was almost ten o'clock now, and although the cakes were finished by now, none of the Sohmas wanted to leave. There were only three chairs in the small room, and Shigure, Ayame and Kyo had raced into the room in order to get them first. Everyone else was sitting on the floor or perching on the arms of chairs. Tohru was on the floor, leaning against the arm of Kyo's chair and talking softly to Kisa. Her head was just about level with the armrest, and Kyo's fingers were unconsciously playing with her hair.

Kisa let out an enormous yawn and snuggled into Tohru's shoulder. Tohru smiled and gave her a big hug.

"Bedtime for you, Kisa." said Tohru, picking her up gently.

Kisa made a small, mumbly noise.

"She's staying here for the night, then?" asked Shigure, a strange glint in his eye.

Tohru nodded, totally unaware of it. "If that's OK with you, Shigure."

"I couldn't possibly let two young girls stay out here on their own in the middle of this dark, creepy forest with no-one to protect them." said Shigure.

Kyo sat bolt upright and shot Shigure a warning look.

"Oh, I quite agree, Gure!" said Ayame, cottoning on to Shigure's subtle request. "I've heard some awful rumours about this part of the forest at night..."

Tohru made a frightened noise. "W-What k-kind of r-rumours?" she stammered, clutching Kisa tightly.

"Ah, shut up!" said Kyo. "Tohru, he's lying!"

"Now that you mention it," said Hatsuharu, "I was reading something in the paper about an escaped panther around this area. Apparently it's been spotted around this area."

"Really?"

Hatsuharu nodded. "I think that perhaps we should all stay here tonight."

"Won't they be worried at the main house?" asked Tohru. "I wouldn't want to frighten anyone."

"Relax!" said Shigure, waving his hand airily. "They won't miss us for just one night!"

"But...the ban...I wouldn't want to get anyone into trouble..."

"It'll be our little secret." said Shigure, winking.

"What Akito doesn't know can't hurt him." said Hatsuharu.

"Well...OK!" said Tohru. "But there's only two bunk beds."

Shigure's eyes gleamed. So did Ayame's. Kyo's expression turned horrified.

"It's all right, Tohru." said Shigure, barely containing his glee. "We'll just have to share."

"OK!" said Tohru happily.

"I want to share with Kisa." said Hiro.

"How shameful!" said Ayame. "A young boy and girl sharing a bed together! Disgraceful!"

"I want to sleep with Tohru!" said Momiji.

"What?!" yelled Kyo, pounding Momiji on the head. "You little pervert!"

"Wah!" Momiji wailed. "Kyo's hitting me!"

"What's the matter, cat boy?" said Ayame. "Don't tell me you're jealous."

"What?!" Kyo yelled again, turning bright red.

Shigure shook his head. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Shameful behaviour, Kyo. I expected better of you."

"Um..." said Tohru quietly.

"This is really more trouble than it's worth." said Hatsuharu. "I'll share the bed with Tohru, Ayame can share with Shigure, Kyo, you share with Momiji, and Kisa and Hiro can share too."

"We can't do that!" exclaimed Ayame. "Shigure would keep me up all night!"

"Aya, please! Not in front of the children!"

"You can't do that!" Kyo yelled at Hatsuharu. "You pervert! You're worse than Shigure!"

"Hey!"

"Are you _trying_ to bring out Black Haru, Kyo?" said Hiro, watching it all with an amused expression.

"Shut up!" yelled Kyo.

"No, you shut up!" yelled Hatsuharu, standing up.

"Too late." muttered Shigure.

"I'm sick of your cowardly whining!" Hatsuharu yelled. "You're always running away from everything!"

"I am not!" yelled Kyo, standing up too.

"You are too! You called off our last fight, you bastard!"

"I did not, that was you! And you're the bastard!"

"Whatever, coward!"

"Shut up!"

"Um, guys..." said Tohru, putting Kisa down and taking a step towards them.

"Stay out of this, Tohru!" yelled Kyo. "Leave this bastard alone!"

Hatsuharu smirked and put an arm around Tohru's shoulders. "I don't think she wants to leave "this bastard" alone, do you, sweetheart?" he said. Tohru's face turned the colour of tomatoes.

"Um...I-I...er..." she stammered.

"Shut up!" Kyo yelled at Hatsuharu.

"I...th-think I left the c-cooker on..." Tohru stammered, trying to disentangle herself from Black Haru.

"Leave the cooker, sweetheart." he said, pulling her close. There was a puff of smoke, and Hatsuharu changed into a cow.

"I'm so sorry!" Tohru cried, panicking. "I didn't mean to, honest! I guess I just..."

Kyo burst out laughing.

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Eventually, things were sorted out. Kisa and Tohru shared a bed, Momiji and Hiro were shared a bed, Shigure and Hatsuharu shared a bed (but only after Hatsuharu had made Shigure swear there would be no "funny business" and that he wouldn't nick the blanket), and Ayame and Kyo were supposed to share, but Kyo refused and slept on the floor.

Tohru smiled. She had known that things would work out somehow.

Meanwhile, Yuki was sitting at the living room table and worrying. Where had everyone gone?

And where could Tohru be?

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At the main house, Hatori was working late again. When Akito had punched the wall a few days ago, he had split the skin across his knuckles quite badly, and every night Hatori had to apply an antiseptic salve and change Akito's bandages.

Which was what he was doing now.

This usually took about half an hour, and for all that time, Akito had not said a single word to him.

Now, as Hatori twisted the final bandage around Akito's hand, Akito finally spoke.

"Where is everyone?"

Hatori looked up. Akito was regarding him with a clear, level gaze, as though he suspected that Hatori knew something. Hatori decided to play dumb.

"What do you mean?"

"Hiro, Kisa, Hatsuharu and Momiji are not here. Do you know where they are, Hatori?"

Hatori's face was blank. "No." he lied. "Perhaps they're looking for Kisa."

Akito watched him carefully. "Yes." he said quietly. "Perhaps they are."

When Akito left the room Hatori let out a small sigh of relief. Quietly, he took out a map of the forest around Shigure's house and studied the clearing where the log cabin was carefully.

"Hatori?" said a middle-aged servant, entering the room. "There is someone waiting for you at the main gate."

Hatori blinked. "Oh." he said, getting up. He placed a paperweight on top of the log cabin to mark his place and put on his coat. "I'll be right there."

Hatori left the room. Standing outside the door, Akito smiled as he watched Hatori leave. Hatori never noticed Akito hiding, and Akito's diversion had worked perfectly.

When Hatori was out of sight, Akito crept into his study and looked at the map. He saw where Hatori had marked the place on the map, and he smiled.

"Thank you, Hatori." he said quietly. "You've been very helpful."

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That night, Akito secretly went to the clearing in the woods. He saw the log cabin, looking like a cottage from a fairy tale, and crept inside. For all Shigure and Ayame's talk of leaving the house undefended and Hatsuharu's warnings of escaped panthers, no-one had remembered to lock the door, so Akito let himself in quietly and quickly.

Making no noise, he crept around the small cabin, looking for his family.

He found them all in the bedroom, crammed into the bunk beds.

Akito was puzzled. It looked like they had just decided to have a sleepover or something. Why had Hatori not said anything?

And then, Akito saw Tohru, fast asleep and smiling in her dreams.

He was furious.

Hatori had lied to him, and his family had disobeyed him. And all because of this stupid, worthless, idiot of a girl.

Akito clenched his fists. His bandaged hand hurt, but he ignored it.

He forced himself to calm down. No-one must know of this. No-one must know that he had found them. He mustn't make anyone suspicious.

Akito ran out of the room, out of the cabin and slammed the door.

Shigure woke with a start. Quietly, he tiptoed over to the front door of the cabin and peered out. By that time, Akito was well out of sight, and Shigure saw no-one there.

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"You really must go now." said Tohru the next morning, ushering the Shomas out the door. "I've kept you here long enough. You'll get into such trouble, and it'll be my fault. I can't let you stay any longer."

Kisa's face crumpled. "But..."

"I'm sorry, Kisa." said Tohru, enveloping her in an enormous hug. "But I'm afraid that if I keep you here any longer, Akito will find out. And I don't want you to get into trouble with Akito because of me."

Kisa gave Tohru her best puppy-eyed stare.

"You can visit every day," Tohru said, "but I think it would be best if you went back to the main house now. OK?"

Kisa nodded sadly.

"I'm so sorry I have to usher you out like this." said Tohru, addressing all the Sohmas now. "But I just want you all to be safe. If Akito found out..."

"We understand, Tohru." said Hatsuharu, smiling gently.

Tohru waved them all off, and didn't leave the doorway until they were long out of sight. Then she sighed, and turned back into the kitchen. She spent a while clearing up the mess they had left, and fortunately, that kept her from thinking too much about how she missed them already. But when all the jobs were finished, and the cabin was spotlessly clean, Tohru couldn't stop herself thinking about them.

Then, there was a knock at the door. Tohru sat up. They were back!

She ran over to the door and threw it open. But when she saw who was standing outside the front door, her face fell and she took a step backwards.

Standing on the doorstep, smiling, was Akito Sohma.

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When Shigure and Kyo arrived back at Shigure's house, the first thing they saw was Yuki. Furious, hungry, sleep-deprived Yuki. Shigure took a step backwards, Kyo had already legged it up onto the roof.

"Where. Have. You. _Been?_" hissed Yuki.

"N-Now Yuki..." said Shigure, backing away, his hands raised and his palms pointing at Yuki, in the universal "Please Don't Kill Me" gesture. "There's no need to be angry..."

"Angry?" said Yuki, eyes gleaming threateningly. "I'm not angry. I'm _furious_."

"R-Really, I d-don't think..."

"Do you have any _idea_ how hungry I am?"

"R-Right! I'll g-go and make you s-something right away!" said Shigure, trying to run off. Yuki stopped him.

"Do you know how _tired_ I am?"

"W-Well...er..."

"_Do you know how very angry I get when I am hungry and tired?_"

"Strangely enough..."

Kyo had not heard much of this conversation - he had been cowering on the roof. But it was impossible not to hear the sounds of a furious Yuki venting his frustration on a snivelling Shigure.

He was, if you'll pardon the expression, beating the living crap out of him.

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"Akito." said Tohru quietly. "Good morning."

Akito's smile widened. He was doing his best not to seem incredibly terrifying, but it really wasn't working.

"Hello Miss Honda."

"Um...can I help you?"

"I've come to apologise." said Akito, putting on his best "please forgive me" face.

Tohru blinked at him.

"The way I've behaved towards you was unforgiveable. I'm really...very sorry."

Tohru smiled uncertainly at him.

"So I've brought you a gift." said Akito. He snapped his fingers, and a servant appeared out of nowhere, struggling under the weight of an enormous fruits basket.

Tohru's eyes lit up. "Oh Akito, you shouldn't have..."

Akito smiled too. "It's the very least I could do, Miss Honda." He turned to the servant. "Put it over there." he said, somewhat disdainfully.

The fruits basket really was enormous, and it looked as though Akito had gone to a lot of trouble over it. It was about the size of a small child - just under a metre high, and was stacked like a pyramid. There were oranges and grapes, mangoes and bananas, apples and pears, and a pineapple had been meticulously balanced on the top. The basket had been decorated with brightly coloured ribbons, and for the first time that day, Tohru realised how incredibly hungry she was.

"Don't you like it?" said Akito quietly.

"No!" said Tohru quickly. "I mean, yes! It's lovely!"

"How can you know? You haven't tasted it yet." said Akito, and if he hadn't been hidden by the enormous pyramid of fruit, Tohru would have seen the strange smile playing around his face, and perhaps she would have been warned.

Tohru reached out and took a bright red apple from the basket. However, as soon as she had started to bring the apple towards her, a red, stripy snake shot out from the centre of the hollow pyramid of fruit, and it sunk its long, pointed fangs into her wrist.

Tohru screamed. Akito's evil smile widened. The snake shot out of sight as Tohru cradled her bleeding wrist.

"Goodbye, Tohru." said Akito, still smiling. "It's been a pleasure knowing you."

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"So where were you?" said Yuki, still fuming, but slightly less so. Shigure was nursing several bruises, and trying not to say or do anything stupid.

"We...We were visiting..."

"Spit it out, Shigure."

"Tohru."

Yuki's head snapped up. He gave Shigure a look that was halfway between a glare of anger and a look of astonishment, as though he couldn't decide what emotion he was feeling. Shigure would have been amused, if he wasn't quite so terrified.

"What do you mean, Tohru?" said Yuki.

From the roof, Kyo heard footsteps. They were uneven, but fast, and it sounded as though the person was running while drunk, or wounded.

"Well, it's like this..." Shigure began.

From the roof, Kyo saw a small, dark figure half running, half staggering, towards the front door. He squinted, trying to get a better look at the person's face, but it was hidden by long, dark hair flying across the face.

Someone slammed into the front door. Yuki and Shigure jumped at the sound.

"What was that?"

Someone pounded on the door, desperately. "Please! Please help me!" said a familiar voice.

Yuki ran over to the door and threw it wide open. Tohru stood in the doorway, shaking all over, her wrist covered in blood and her face chalk-white.

"What is it? Miss Honda, what happened?"

Tohru's mouth was dry, and her voice sounded scratchy and brittle. She was breathing heavily, and her forehead was covered in sweat. "Snake..." she gasped, holding onto the door frame for support, "...in the basket...Akito..."

"It's OK, Miss Honda, you'll be fine." said Yuki, trying to sound reassuring while he watched Tohru shake and shiver and bleed. "Shigure! Get Hatori now! Tell him to drop whatever he's doing and come over this minute!" he yelled, ushering Tohru inside.

"What's wrong?" yelled Kyo, skidding into the room. Then he spotted Tohru. His face went white.

"Tohru!" he yelled, running towards her and taking her arm to support her. Tohru turned to face him. Her eyes were dull, as though they had lost their shine. She tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace of pain.

"Hello Kyo." she rasped.

"What the hell happened to you?" Kyo yelled. Shigure was babbling on the phone to Hatori, making wild gestures and knocking things over in the process.

"I..." Tohru began, but she never finished that sentence. Her head was beginning to spin, and the edges of the world were beginning to fade to black. Her breathing was tight and constricted, and her wrist felt like it was on fire.

Tohru swayed on the spot. Her eyes closed, her legs crumpled underneath her. She had fainted.

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Hatori had raced round as fast as he could, with half the Sohmas in tow. When they arrived at Shigure's house, all of them burst through the front door at the same time. Kisa, Hiro, Ayame and Hatsuharu were shoved aside as Hatori pushed his way towards Tohru.

"Tohru?" he said gently, trying to keep the fear out of his voice.

Tohru's eyes fluttered open. Everything was blurry.

"Who's there?" she whispered.

"It's me, Hatori. How are you feeling?"

"It hurts." she mumbled, as Hatori's face swam in and out of focus.

"What hurts?"

"Hand."

"What happened? Tell us how you hurt yourself, Tohru."

Tohru scrunched up her face in thought, as she tried her hardest to remember. For a moment, there was total silence.

"Snake!" she said. Everyone glared at Ayame.

"What? I didn't do anything!" he said.

"A snake? What kind of snake?" said Hatori, rummaging through his doctor's bag.

"Red snake." said Tohru. Her whole arm felt like it was on fire now. It hurt to even think about it.

"Stripy red snake." she mumbled.

"Where did you find it?" said Hatori, taking Tohru's temperature. He looked at the thermometer and for a second, he looked terrified. Forty degrees! A temperature like that was almost lethal!

"In basket." she mumbled around the thermometer.

"The basket?" said Hatori, listening to Tohru's heart beat. It was beating much faster than it should do.

"Fruits basket...'s a gift."

"From whom? Can you remember?"

Tohru scrunched up her face and tried to ignore the pain. Then, she nodded.

"Akito." she mumbled.

Everyone froze.

"Said...he wanted friends." Tohru muttered. "Said he was sorry."

Hatori and Shigure exchanged a look.

Suddenly, Tohru let out a cry of pain. Tears sprang to her eyes. "It hurts!" she moaned.

Hatori whipped out a syringe from his bag and a vial of a mysterious, clear stuff. Quietly and quickly, he filled the syringe with the mysterious substance while Tohru screamed in agony.

"I should have known Akito was planning something." he muttered.

"What do you mean?" asked Shigure.

"Akito ordered an enormous fruits basket and drove off somewhere this morning. When I went to his room to find him, I saw he'd been reading animal magazines. At least fifty of them. They were strewn all over the floor, and on all the open pages were articles about snakes."

Kyo swore under his breath. Tohru screamed again, and tears poured down her face.

"She's been bitten by a Japanese pit viper. They're extremely poisonous. Fortunately, I heard there'd been a rise in their population, so I stocked up on the antidote." said Hatori. "Tohru? This might hurt a little."

"Don't hurt her!" cried Momiji. "You have to be gentle to Tohru!"

"It will hurt her, Momiji." said Hatori quietly. "Especially when she's like this. But if I don't inject her soon, she'll die."

Momiji froze. Everyone fell silent apart from Tohru, who screamed in agony again.

"It hurts! It hurts!" she cried.

Hatori readied his syringe and injected the whole lot into the jugular. Tohru screamed and thrashed around violently.

"This won't be pretty." said Hatori. "I suggest you leave."

Ayame, Shigure, Kyo, Hatsuharu, Hiro, Momiji and Kisa left the room quietly. Yuki stayed behind.

"You aren't leaving, Yuki?" asked Hatori.

Yuki shook his head. He looked pale, tired and scared, but there was a determined expression on his face.

"I'll never leave her." said Yuki.

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Soon after the injection, Tohru stopped thrashing and screaming. She fell into a deep sleep, and she lay motionless on the floor as she dreamed. Tohru's dreams were more like nightmares that day. She was chased by enormous red, stripy snakes around pyramids of fruit, while Akito's giant face loomed in the sky, laughing manically. She ran and she ran and she ran, through fields of animals calling out her name, through an enormous forest with towering trees, through the halls of her school, lined with thousands of people, all wearing masks of Akito's face. She tried to get away from them, but her only way out was blocked by a crystal clear waterfall, so she dived in. She swam through the clear blue water, and saw thousands of tiny seahorses, all carrying syringes, swimming towards her. Then the seahorses changed into dragons, and then the dragons changed into a dark and terrible figure that loomed over head and boomed "I'll make you regret you had anything to do with the Sohmas!"

Tohru whimpered in her sleep. Yuki knelt down beside her, and gently took her hand.

Yuki was true to his word. He never did leave her.

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Yuki wasn't sure how long he had sat by Tohru. In his sleep-deprived state, the hours had blurred into one continuous time, with no beginning to look back to and no end in sight. From time to time, his eyelids would begin to droop, and he would feel as though he was drifting off to sleep, but then he would force himself to stay awake and force his eyes open wide.

"Go bed, Yuki." Hatori would say. Yuki had lost count of how many times he had said it.

"No." said Yuki, shaking his head fiercely. "I won't."

Hatori had examined Tohru again, and, satisfied with her progress, decided to let her sleep. Once again, he tried to convince Yuki to get some rest, but Yuki wouldn't hear of it.

"No." he said again. "I'll never leave Tohru."

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Tohru opened her eyes, and wished that she hadn't.

For some strange reason, everything was purple.

"Miss Honda!" said a voice. "Are you all right?"

Gradually, the mass of purple separated out into two blobs, and then into Yuki's eyes. Tohru blinked.

"Yuki?" she said sleepily. Her voice didn't sound quite so scratchy and sore any more, but her neck hurt like hell. Not that Tohru would ever use that expression, but there we go.

Yuki was leaning over her, a concerned expression on his face. He was holding her hand, and Tohru felt warm and peaceful.

"Am I dead, Yuki?" she said.

Yuki let out an involuntary laugh. "No." he said, smiling. "No, you're not dead."

"Oh." said Tohru, looking puzzled. "I'll get up then."

Tohru tried to push herself up, but her arms weren't strong enough and she collapsed, hitting her head on the floor.

"Ow." she said, still sounding slightly confused. Yuki laughed again.

"Why are you laughing?" she asked.

"I don't know." said Yuki, beaming at her. "I don't know."

That was a lie. Yuki did know why he was laughing and smiling, and why he felt so happy that he could explode. Hatori had brought Tohru back from the brink of death. Just when he'd thought that all really was lost, and that he'd never see her alive and smiling again, here she was, right in front of him, and she was alive.

Yuki helped her sit up, a stupid little grin plastered on his face the whole time. He let her lean against his shoulder when her head began to spin, and he gave her his jacket when she began to shiver. And still, he couldn't stop smiling. He felt all warm and fuzzy after hours of forcing himself to stay awake, and when Tohru's eyelids began to droop and she let out an enormous yawn, it was only then that Yuki noticed how incredibly tired he was. Eventually, they both gave in to sleep and toppled over, just lying that way on the floor, fast asleep.

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"Yuki?" said Hatori, tiptoeing into the living room. "Is Tohru awake yet?"

Hatori saw Yuki and Tohru asleep on the floor, Yuki's jacket slipped around Tohru's shoulders, Tohru still holding Yuki's hand. They were cuddled together and facing each other, each with a stupid little smile on their face.

Hatori smiled.

Then, Ayame came in. He saw Yuki and Tohru and his entire face lit up. He opened his mouth excitedly.

Hatori clapped a hand over Ayame's mouth.

"Don't say a word." he said.

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When Yuki and Tohru awoke, it was to find almost the entire Sohma family crowded into the living room. They didn't look up at first - they were both far too tired - but they noticed some strange flashing lights, almost like lightening in a thunder storm.

Tohru made a confused noise.

"Isn't that just the most adorable thing you've ever seen?" said a voice. Tohru wondered what they could be talking about.

"I always knew that they were destined to be together! From the moment I first met Tohru, I thought "Now there's a girl who's bound to fall in love with my dearest younger brother!" and I was right! Oh Shigure, doesn't the mere sight of them make you want to explode with happiness?"

"The mere sight of _you_ has the same effect on me, Aya."

Tohru put a hand to her head and opened her eyes properly. Yuki had his eyes squeezed tight shut, as though he knew exactly what was going on and wanted to avoid it as much as possible.

"Tohru!" yelled several people at once.

"Wha?" Tohru mumbled sleepily. And that was when she noticed how close she was to Yuki. She flushed tomato red and made a noise of sheer and utter embarrassment. She tried to edge away from Yuki - their faces were only about twenty centimetres apart and Tohru was sure that the heat radiating from her face would wake Yuki up - but then Yuki, in a theatrically sleepy move, pulled her close again like a teddy bear.

"Yuki, you little scoundrel!" said Ayame. "Now that's one for the album!"

That was when Tohru noticed that the flashing lights were Ayame and Shigure - with cameras.

Yuki froze.

Tohru froze.

They both squeezed their eyes shut in mortification.

"I'll show this one to my nieces!" said Ayame, snapping another photo. "And this one to my nephews!"

"N-Nieces?" said Tohru, not quite understanding what Ayame was saying. Where would they come from?

Yuki sat up, his face like thunder. "Put the camera down now." he said quietly.

Tohru had finally got what Ayame meant about nieces and nephews. She shreiked in embarrassment and scuttled away, pressing her hands to her red-hot cheeks.

"That's quite enough, Ayame." said Hatori calmly. Although, Yuki noticed there was a cheeky twinkle in his eye and for a split second, he wondered where Shigure and Ayame had got their cameras from. But then, Ayame said "I'll get these out again at the wedding!" and Yuki snapped.

"Give me that camera!" he yelled, jumping to his feet and sprinting after Ayame, who was dancing around the room with the camera held high.

"Tohru!" said Kisa, running over to her and hugging her tightly. "We were so worried!"

"You certainly gave us quite a scare." said Shigure, hiding his camera behind his back. "We thought for a moment we might have lost you."

Kisa and Tohru hugged tightly.

Then, in a small, quiet voice, Kisa whispered in Tohru's ear.

"Can I be your bridesmaid?" she said.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Well, there we are. Please let me know what you think I should do next, I'm torn between Peter Pan and Hansel and Gretel - argh. It's annoying. Anyway, please review or send me a message - but let me know what you think!!

Oh, and never, ever, EVER forget to feed the review junkie. X3


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